Role and mechanism of catechin in skeletal muscle cell differentiation.

Muscle degeneration and cachexia caused by aging and chronic diseases seriously reduce the quality of life of patients. Catechins in tea enhance skeletal muscle performance, but the specific function and mechanism require further exploration. Myogenic differentiation is accompanied by extensive changes in cell morphology and gene expression patterns. In this study, we measured the number, length, diameter, and transcriptional levels of MyoD, MyoG, and MyHC of myotubes after C2C12 cell differentiation to assess changes in response to four different catechin monomers: epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin gallate. The differentiation-promoting effect of ECG was the strongest. Atomic force microscopy showed that ECG significantly reduced the adhesion force, stiffness, and Young's modulus of myotubes. Finally, the mechanism of ECG-enhanced C2C12 cell differentiation was explored by a LC/MS whole proteomic strategy and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. The results provide a powerful basis for further study of catechin-enhanced skeletal muscle regeneration and repair.