Thermotherapy Effects on Healthy and Type 2 Diabetes Human Skeletal Muscle Myoblast Cell Lines

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood glucose levels with associated disordered carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) specifically has been shown to cause a decrease in skeletal muscle mass due to oxidative stress. This study investigated a treatment option for T2D through thermotherapy on healthy (HSMM) and T2D (D-HSMM) human skeletal muscle cells. The goals were to determine the effects of thermotherapy, long-term (chronic) and short-term (acute), on HSMM and D-HSMM cell viabilities and oxidative stress. HSMM and D-HSMM cells were grown to confluency, harvested, and counted to determine density. Acute and chronic heat treatments were applied to both cell lines. The chronic treatment consisted of a 30-minute exposure to 40°C, three times a week for three weeks; the acute treatment was a one-time exposure. Oxidative stress assays and cell viabilities were tested 24 hours after heat treatments. Results indicated no significant effect on the cell viability of HSMM and D-HSMM cells. The acute treatment had a significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) of MDA concentration compared to the chronic treatment. The chronic treatment had a significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in catalase activity compared to the acute treatment. The SOD activity had no significant change (p > 0.05) between the chronic and acute treatments. In conclusion, acute thermotherapy may not be beneficial for skeletal muscle cells due to the observed increase in oxidative stress, especially in the D-HSMM cells.