Effect of lactation on postpartum pelvic floor muscle regeneration in preclinical model
Abstract Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) recovery following childbirth is essential for preserving pelvic floor function. Despite this, the impact of parturition and lactation on pelvic muscle stem cells (MuSCs), indispensable for skeletal muscle maintenance and regeneration, remains unknown. We determine...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-06-01
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| Series: | npj Women's Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44294-025-00079-7 |
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| author | F. Boscolo Sesillo H. Manoochehri P. Duran E. Zelus K. L. Christman M. Alperin |
| author_facet | F. Boscolo Sesillo H. Manoochehri P. Duran E. Zelus K. L. Christman M. Alperin |
| author_sort | F. Boscolo Sesillo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) recovery following childbirth is essential for preserving pelvic floor function. Despite this, the impact of parturition and lactation on pelvic muscle stem cells (MuSCs), indispensable for skeletal muscle maintenance and regeneration, remains unknown. We determined that vaginal delivery does not cause mechanical injury of the rat PFMs, enabling us to uncouple the effects of lactation on muscle homeostasis from PFM regeneration following simulated birth injury (SBI). Tibialis anterior (TA) served as non-pelvic control. This novel study demonstrates that in the absence of birth injury, lactation blocks MuSC proliferation in PFM and TA, suggesting that postpartum systemic milieu affects MuSCs in pelvic and non-pelvic muscles. In contrast, SBI negated the inhibitory effect of lactation on MuSCs in PFM but not in TA, indicating that local signals released by the injured muscle overcome systemic inhibitory effects of lactation, which persist in muscles remote from the site of injury. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-620692dc8fd04af486a874ddc2b115ba |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2948-1716 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Women's Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-620692dc8fd04af486a874ddc2b115ba2025-08-20T02:39:44ZengNature Portfolionpj Women's Health2948-17162025-06-013111010.1038/s44294-025-00079-7Effect of lactation on postpartum pelvic floor muscle regeneration in preclinical modelF. Boscolo Sesillo0H. Manoochehri1P. Duran2E. Zelus3K. L. Christman4M. Alperin5Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, University of California, San DiegoDivision of Biological Sciences, University of California, San DiegoShu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San DiegoShu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San DiegoSanford Consortium for Regenerative MedicineDepartment of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, University of California, San DiegoAbstract Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) recovery following childbirth is essential for preserving pelvic floor function. Despite this, the impact of parturition and lactation on pelvic muscle stem cells (MuSCs), indispensable for skeletal muscle maintenance and regeneration, remains unknown. We determined that vaginal delivery does not cause mechanical injury of the rat PFMs, enabling us to uncouple the effects of lactation on muscle homeostasis from PFM regeneration following simulated birth injury (SBI). Tibialis anterior (TA) served as non-pelvic control. This novel study demonstrates that in the absence of birth injury, lactation blocks MuSC proliferation in PFM and TA, suggesting that postpartum systemic milieu affects MuSCs in pelvic and non-pelvic muscles. In contrast, SBI negated the inhibitory effect of lactation on MuSCs in PFM but not in TA, indicating that local signals released by the injured muscle overcome systemic inhibitory effects of lactation, which persist in muscles remote from the site of injury.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44294-025-00079-7 |
| spellingShingle | F. Boscolo Sesillo H. Manoochehri P. Duran E. Zelus K. L. Christman M. Alperin Effect of lactation on postpartum pelvic floor muscle regeneration in preclinical model npj Women's Health |
| title | Effect of lactation on postpartum pelvic floor muscle regeneration in preclinical model |
| title_full | Effect of lactation on postpartum pelvic floor muscle regeneration in preclinical model |
| title_fullStr | Effect of lactation on postpartum pelvic floor muscle regeneration in preclinical model |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of lactation on postpartum pelvic floor muscle regeneration in preclinical model |
| title_short | Effect of lactation on postpartum pelvic floor muscle regeneration in preclinical model |
| title_sort | effect of lactation on postpartum pelvic floor muscle regeneration in preclinical model |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44294-025-00079-7 |
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