Arik Davidyan

California State University, Sacramento | CSUS · Department of Biological Sciences

The rationale for the use of metformin as a treatment to slow aging was largely based on data collected from metabolically unhealthy individuals. For healthspan extension metformin will also be used in periods of good health. To understand the potential context specificity of metformin treatment on skeletal muscle, we used a rat model (high‐capacit...

The rationale for the use of metformin as a treatment to slow aging was largely based on data collected from metabolically unhealthy individuals. For healthspan extension metformin will also be used in periods of good health. To understand potential context specificity of metformin treatment on skeletal muscle, we used a rat model (HCR/LCR) with a...

Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) is an intercellular signaling molecule secreted by metabolic organs, including skeletal muscle, in response to intracellular stress. FGF21 crosses the blood brain barrier and acts via the nervous system to coordinate aspects of the adaptive starvation response, including increased lipolysis, gluconeogenesis, fatt...

17α-estradiol (17α-E2) is a naturally occurring non-feminizing diastereomer of 17β-estradiol that has lifespan extending effects in rodent models. To date studies of the systemic and tissue-specific benefits of 17α-E2 have largely focused on liver, brain, and white adipose tissue with far less focus on skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle has an import...

Background Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) is an intercellular signaling molecule secreted by metabolic organs, including skeletal muscle, in response to intracellular stress. FGF21 crosses the blood brain barrier and acts via the nervous system to coordinate aspects of the adaptive starvation response, including increased lipolysis, gluconeoge...

Skeletal muscle has a central role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis. 17α-estradiol (17α-E2), a naturally-occurring non-feminizing diastereomer of 17β-estradiol that demonstrates efficacy for improving metabolic outcomes in male, but not female, mice. Despite several lines of evidence showing that 17α-E2 treatment improves metabolic parameters i...

Metformin is a candidate to slow biological aging and extend healthspan, as it reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality in people with type 2 diabetes. However, it is not clear how metformin impacts individuals absent of chronic disease. This unknown is important to answer before prescribing metformin to healthy individuals to prolong the health...

The skeletal muscle research field generally accepts that nuclei in skeletal muscle fibers (i.e., myonuclei) are post-mitotic and unable to proliferate. Because our deuterium oxide (D2O) labeling studies showed DNA synthesis in skeletal muscle tissue, we hypothesized that resident myonuclei can replicate in vivo. To test this hypothesis, we used a...

The skeletal muscle research field generally accepts that nuclei in skeletal muscle fibers (i.e., myonuclei) are post-mitotic and unable to proliferate. Because our deuterium oxide (D 2 O) labeling studies showed DNA synthesis in skeletal muscle tissue, we hypothesized that resident myonuclei can replicate in vivo . To test this hypothesis, we used...

Aging is the main risk factor for many costly, irreversible, and comorbid chronic diseases. The anti-diabetic drug Metformin is being considered as an anti-aging treatment although little is known about its effects in healthy individuals. Previous data from our lab suggest that metformin is beneficial to individuals that are relatively insulin resi...

The antidiabetic medication metformin has been proposed to be the first drug tested to target aging and extend healthspan in humans. While there is extensive epidemiological support for the health benefits of metformin in patient populations, it is not clear if these protective effects apply to those free of age-related disease. Our previous data i...

The antidiabetic medication metformin has been proposed to be the first drug tested to target aging and extend healthspan in humans. While there is extensive epidemiological support for the health benefits of metformin in patient populations, it is not clear if these protective effects apply to those free of age-related disease. Our previous data i...

The inclusion of undergraduate learning assistants (LAs) on the teaching team of a course is a high-impact practice that benefits the teaching team, students, and LAs themselves. LAs are undergraduate students who have taken the course previously and support student learning through facilitated discussion and problem-solving. Unfortunately, in the...

Testosterone is considered a potent anabolic agent in skeletal muscle with a well-established role in adolescent growth and development in males. However, the role of testosterone in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass and function throughout the lifespan has yet to be fully established. While some studies suggest that testosterone is important...

University-level physiology courses are considered challenging. Postsecondary instructors indicate the top three reasons that make physiology courses difficult for student are 1) the need for the learner to reason mechanistically, 2) the belief among students that memorization is equal to learning, and 3) the need to think about the physiological s...

Testosterone is considered a potent anabolic agent in skeletal muscle with a well-established role in adolescent growth and development in males. However, alterations in the role of testosterone in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass and function throughout the lifespan has yet to be established. While some studies suggest that testosterone is i...

Testosterone is a primary hormone for male sexual maturation, but it is also responsible for bone and skeletal muscle mass growth both for men and women. Recent data from our group suggest that testosterone supplementation (TS) in mice can lead to increased heart size and that this is sex‐specific, being observed only in females. Usually, muscle hy...

Testosterone (T), the main androgenic hormone, is assumed to play an important role in the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass and function through its effects on satellite cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as its activation of pathways downstream of the IGF‐1 receptor and AKT. T depletion through chemical castration as a treatment fo...

Key points: Force transfer is integral for maintaining skeletal muscle structure and function. One important component is dystrophin. There is limited understanding of how force transfer is impacted by age and loading. Here, we investigate the force transfer apparatus in muscles of adult and old rats exposed to periods of disuse and reloading. Our...

Testosterone (T), the main androgenic hormone, is thought to positively affect skeletal muscle mass and function. The anabolic effects of T have been attributed to its effects on satellite cell proliferation and differentiation as well as its activation of pathways downstream of the IGF‐1 receptor and AKT. The role of T activity in skeletal muscle...

Distal extremity wounds are a significant clinical problem in horses and humans and may benefit from mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy. This study evaluated the effects of direct wound treatment with allogeneic stem cells, in terms of gross, histologic, and transcriptional features of healing. Three full-thickness cutaneous wounds were created on...

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