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Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Tibial Nerve Transection - A Standardized Model for Denervation-induced Skeletal Muscle Atrophy in Mice
Published on: November 3, 2013
Experimental Model of HindLimb Suspension-Induced Skeletal Muscle Atrophy in Rodents
Gabriel Nasri Marzuca-Nassr1, Kaio Fernando Vitzel2, Gilson Masahiro Murata3
1Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile. gabriel.marzuca@ufrontera.cl.
Abstract:
Due to the difficulty of performing research protocols that reproduce human skeletal muscle disuse conditions, an experimental animal model of "hindlimb suspension" (or hindlimb unloading) was developed. This method was created in the 1970s and utilizes rats and mice to mimic space flight and bed rest in humans. It provides an alternative to investigate mechanisms associated with skeletal muscle mass loss and interventions designed to attenuate atrophy induced by hindlimb unloading. The mentioned protocol also allows investigating quality of bones and changes in several physiological parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, plasma or tissue lipid composition, and glycemia.
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