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Updated: Oct 25, 2026
Treatment of Ligament Constructs with Exercise-conditioned Serum: A Translational Tissue Engineering Model
Published on: June 11, 2017
Human serum collected after fermented whey protein supplementation stimulates myocellular growth and protein
Kazuki Uemichi1, Mito Watanabe2, Naomi Yoshii1
1Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Noji-Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan.
Background:
Age-related anabolic resistance has been proposed as one contributor to skeletal muscle loss in older adults, although its magnitude varies substantially among individuals and experimental conditions. Whey protein stimulates muscle protein synthesis (MPS) through increased circulating amino acid availability and activation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), whereas fermented whey protein may exert greater anabolic effects due to enhanced bioactivity. However, its effects on skeletal muscle anabolic and metabolic responses during aging remain unclear.
Methods:
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study investigated the effects of fermented whey protein ingestion on serum-mediated anabolic and metabolic responses in cultured skeletal muscle cells from young and older males. Participants consumed fermented whey protein (Fermentis) and conventional non-fermented protein (control whey) on separate occasions. Differentiated C2C12 myotubes were cultured in medium containing 10% postprandial human serum to evaluate MPS, mitochondrial-related signaling, and myotube hypertrophy.
Results:
Serum obtained after Fermentis ingestion increased myotube diameter compared with serum obtained after conventional whey protein, with no age × protein interaction. For MPS, we observed a significant age × protein interaction, and MPS was greater in myotubes treated with post-Fermentis serum from older donors than from young donors. In addition, serum obtained after Fermentis ingestion markedly enhanced S6K1 Thr389 phosphorylation and oxidative metabolism-related signaling molecules compared with non-fermented protein treatment.
Conclusions:
The present findings may provide mechanistic insights into the development of nutritional strategies to attenuate age-associated anabolic resistance and improve skeletal muscle oxidative metabolic function.
