Fig. 6: Mcare deficiency exacerbates exercise-induced muscle damage but does not impair regeneration.

a Running endurance of 3-month-old WT and KO mice assessed using an exhaustive treadmill running protocol. n = 12 (WT) and 13 (KO) mice. b Serum CK activity in WT and KO mice under sedentary conditions and 60 min after a 30-min submaximal treadmill running protocol. n = 6 mice. c qRT-PCR analysis of PGC-1a and Atf3 mRNA levels in Quad, TA, and Soleus muscles of WT and KO mice at baseline and 60 min post-exercise. n = 6 mice. d HE staining of TA muscle from WT and KO mice injected with CTX. Muscles were collected before CTX injection and at 6 h post-injury (hpi), 4 days post-injury (dpi), and 14 dpi. Scale bar, 50 μm. e Mean cross-sectional area of TA muscle fibers. Each data point represents one mouse. n = 5 mice. f TA muscle weight (%BW) in uninjured mice and at 4 and 14 dpi in WT and KO mice. n = 5 mice. Error bars represent mean ± SD. Statistical significance was assessed using two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test.