The effect of ursolic acid on proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells in native chickens

Ursolic acid is a natural compound of tryptophan pentacyclic which is found in flowers and fruits, as well as in some medicinal plants such as mint, basil, savory. In this study, the effect of ursolic acid on C2C12 cells and satellite cells (SC) which are isolated from native day-old chicks was investigated. First, the cells were cultured using the pre-plating method. Then, to determine the appropriate dose of ursolic acid, the MTT technique was used. Also, qRT-PCR technique was used to investigate the expression of genes involved in the proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, the independent t-student test was used for mean comparison between the treated and control groups.  Microscopic images and the results of the flow cytometry technique using PAX7 antibodies confirmed the nature of satellite cells. Also, the results have been illustrated  that ursolic acid at a concentration of 0.00025 mg / ml significantly increased the expression of genes involved in the proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells, including PAX7, MyoD and Myogenin (p <0.05). Ursolic acid appears to increase muscle hypertrophy in native chickens through increasing the expression of the PAX7, Myogenin and MyoD genes. As a result, ursolic acid can be suggested as a suitable material for improving the growth in native chickens.