Optimized Dissociation of Skeletal Muscle Tissue to Recover Muscle Stem Cells

Adult skeletal muscle regenerative potential mainly relies on resident muscle stem cells (MuSC), tightly anchored in a specialized niche. These cells are widely used for mechanistic in vitro assays and are promising candidates for cell-based therapies. However, muscle tissue enzymatic dissociation required to isolate MuSC remains a critical step that can deeply alter their viability and functionality. Here, we provide a step-by-step method to dissociate skeletal muscle tissue, optimized to preserve the viability of MuSC and improve their purification yield.