Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Our research has demonstrated that estrogen can protect skeletal muscle from exercise induced muscle damage, reduce post-damage inflammatory responses and activate mechanisms associated with more rapid repair and healing of skeletal muscle following injury. Our current research focuses on how estrogen can signal various skeletal muscle repair related factors such as satellite cells. We also examine how chemicals similar to estrogen found in common hormone replacement therapy products may differ from natural estrogen in these effects and mechanisms. Since rodent models have suggested that delaying the start of hormone replacement (by the equivalent of several years in humans) following pseudo-menopause (removal of ovaries) can result in loss of the ability of estrogen to protect and speed healing in injured brain tissue, we will also explore the possibility of and possible failure points in signaling on injured skeletal muscle with such a delay in estrogen replacement.