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Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Isolation of Human Myoblasts, Assessment of Myogenic Differentiation, and Store-operated Calcium Entry Measurement
Published on: July 26, 2017
Lysosomotropic agents induce morphological and functional changes in human muscle cells in vitro
P L Baron1, G Meola, E Scarpini
1Istituto di Clinica Neurologica, Centro Dino Ferrari, Università degli Milano, Italy.
Abstract:
We studied the distribution of lysosomes in differentiating human muscle cells in culture treated with propranolol, leupeptin and chloroquine. Chloroquine treated cells showed a significant vacuolization and an increase of the lysosomal apparatus as assessed by cytochemical analysis of the lysosomal enzyme acid phosphatase and by acridine orange staining. At electron microscopic level, an increase of lysosome-like bodies and disorganization of the contractile apparatus were demonstrated in multinucleated myotubes. These alterations observed in cultured muscle cells suggest that lysosomotropic agents may be harmful.
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