# Human Laminin-111-Derived AG73 Increases Proliferation, Migration, and Differentiation of Human Myoblasts: A Promising Candidate in Regenerative Medicine

## TL;DR

A human-derived peptide called HuAG73 boosts the growth and function of muscle cells, showing promise for treating muscle diseases.

## Contribution

HuAG73, a small peptide from human laminin-111, is introduced as a novel therapeutic candidate for muscle regeneration.

## Key findings

- HuAG73 promotes adhesion, proliferation, migration, and fusion of human myoblasts in culture.
- HuAG73 mimics the effects of full-length laminin-111 in myoblast transplantation assays.
- The peptide shows potential as a therapeutic for muscle diseases due to its efficacy and simpler structure.

## Abstract

Laminin 111 (LM-111)
is an extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein
found in basement membranes and proposed for muscle disease therapy.
LM-111 treatment reduces muscle damage, restores muscle strength,
alleviates inflammation, and promotes regeneration in murine and canine
dystrophic models. LM-111 also improves myoblast transplantation (MT)
efficacy by inducing higher proliferation, survival, dispersion, and
differentiation of transplanted myoblasts. LM can undergo partial
proteolysis and produce peptides called matrikines that modulate cell
activity and trigger distinct biological responses from the full-length
glycoproteins. In this study, we investigated the biological activity
of the HuAG73 peptide, derived from the human LM, on human myoblasts,
both in vitro and in vivo, using
immunodeficient mice. The HuAG73 peptide offers a significant advantage
over LM-111 due to its smaller size and simpler structure. HuAG73
promoted adhesion, proliferation, migration, and fusion of human myoblasts
in culture. It also mimicked LM-111 in an MT assay. In conclusion,
HuAG73 is a novel, relevant therapeutic candidate molecule for treating
muscle diseases.