Abstract
We investigated the protective effects of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) bone-derived biocalcium (Bio) against dexamethasone-induced atrophy in C2C12 myotubes. Bio rescued atrophic morphology, increasing myotube diameter dose-dependently. It mitigated inflammation by suppressing nitric oxide production and the expression and concentration of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β) significantly and dose-dependently. Bio restored protein turnover balance by downregulating MuRF1 and atrogin-1 while upregulating MTOR. At 5–20 µg/mL, Bio downregulated total NF-κB p65, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and FoxO3a and upregulated Akt expression. Crucially, Bio dose-dependently downregulated primary-, precursor-, and mature-microRNA-29b. In Bio-treated, dexamethasone-treated C2C12 myotubes, microRNA-29b inhibitor co-transfection significantly increased myogenin and MyoD expression, whereas microRNA-29b mimic co-transfection suppressed these myogenic markers, confirming the inhibitory role of microRNA-29b. Molecular docking simulations confirmed strong binding affinities between microRNA-29b and myogenin/MyoD. These results demonstrate that Bio exerts anti-atrophy effects by disrupting the microRNA-29b-mediated block on myogenesis and modulating inflammatory responses, protein turnover, and key signaling pathways. Collectively, skipjack tuna-derived Bio shows promise as a functional food supplement for sarcopenia prevention and management.
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The data generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the National Science, Research and Innovation Fund (NSRF) and Prince of Songkla University (Grant No. MET6901024S).
Funding
This research was supported by the National Science, Research and Innovation Fund (NSRF) and Prince of Songkla University (Grant No. MET6901024S).
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Conceptualization, Y.P.; methodology, S.J., T.S., C.Y., N.T., P.W., P.S., Y.Y., K.H., and Y.P.; validation, S.J., and Y.P.; formal analysis, S.J., C.Y., N.T., and Y.P.; investigation, S.J., T.S., C.Y., N.T., P.W., P.S., Y.Y., K.H., and Y.P.; resources, Y.P.; writing—original draft preparation, S.J.; writing—review and editing, S.J. and Y.P.; visualization, S.J., and Y.P.; supervision, Y.P.; project administration, Y.P.; funding acquisition, Y.P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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Jantarawong, S., Senphan, T., Youngruk, C. et al. Skipjack tuna bone derived biocalcium ameliorates C2C12 myotube atrophy through microRNA29b regulation. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39977-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39977-4
