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Abstract

Biology

In vivo Measurement of Knee Extensor Muscle Function in Mice

Published: March 4th, 2021

DOI:

10.3791/62211

1Department of Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition, University of Kentucky, 2Center for Muscle Biology, University of Kentucky, 3Department of Physical Therapy, East Carolina University, 4Kinesiology and Health Promotion Graduate Program, University of Kentucky, 5Biomotion Lab, College of Health Sciences, University of Kentucky, 6Aurora Scientific, 7Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Sciences, University of Kentucky

Abstract

Skeletal muscle plasticity in response to countless conditions and stimuli mediates concurrent functional adaptation, both negative and positive. In the clinic and the research laboratory, maximal muscular strength is widely measured longitudinally in humans, with knee extensor musculature the most reported functional outcome. Pathology of the knee extensor muscle complex is well documented in aging, orthopedic injury, disease, and disuse; knee extensor strength is closely related to functional capacity and injury risk, underscoring the importance of reliable measurement of knee extensor strength. Repeatable, in vivo assessment of knee extensor strength in pre-clinical rodent studies offers valuable functional endpoints for studies exploring osteoarthritis or knee injury. We report an in vivo and non-invasive protocol to repeatedly measure isometric peak tetanic torque of the knee extensors in mice across time. We demonstrate consistency using this novel method to measure knee extensor strength with repeated assessment in multiple mice producing similar results.

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Keywords Knee Extensor

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