HyPer2 imaging reveals temporal and heterogeneous hydrogen peroxide changes in denervated and aged skeletal muscle fibers in vivo

To determine the role of denervation and motor unit turnover in the age-related increase in skeletal muscle oxidative stress, the hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) specific, genetically-encoded, fluorescent cyto-HyPer2 probe was expressed in mouse anterior tibialis (AT) muscle and compared with ex vivo measurements of mitochondrial oxidant generation. Crush of the peroneal nerve induced increased mitochondrial peroxide generation, measured in permeabilised AT fibers ex vivo and intra vital confocal microscopy of cyto-HyPer2 fluorescence showed increased cytosolic H 2 O 2 in a sub-set (~24%) of individual fibers associated with onset of fiber atrophy. In comparison, mitochondrial peroxide generation was also increased in resting muscle from old (26 month) mice compared with adult (6–8 month) mice, but no age effect on fiber cytosolic H 2 O 2 in vivo was seen. Thus ageing is associated with an increased ability of muscle fibers to maintain cytosolic redox homeostasis in the presence of denervation-induced increase in mitochondrial peroxide generation.