Astaxanthin improves skeletal muscle regeneration in CTX-induced injury of HFD-fed obese mice via mitochondrial biogenesis

Obesity impairs the health and regeneration of skeletal muscle. Astaxanthin (AX) possesses antioxidant and anti-obesity properties, making it possible to improve obesity-associated damages. 42 male C57BL/6J mice were fed a control diet, a high-fat diet (HFD) or a HFD with 0.02 %AX for 16 weeks. Mice were either immediately euthanized (experiment one) or given intramuscular injections of cardiotoxin (CTX) and euthanized on the seventh day (experiment two). The experiment one showed that AX improved grip strength and motor function with reduced fat deposition and elevated SOD in skeletal muscle. The experiment two found that AX increased the expression of proteins related to muscle regeneration and mitochondrial biogenesis. The in vitro experiment of interfering C2C12 myogenic cells with AX suggested that AX promoted myoblast differentiation and mitochondrial biogenesis. In conclusion, astaxanthin improves skeletal muscle health and regeneration in obese mice induced by HFD.