European College of Sport Science: Book of Abstracts of the 30th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science, 1 - 4 July 2025. Jointly hosted by the University of Bologna/University of Padua, edited by Marcora, S., Narici, M., Paoli, A., De Vito, G., Tsolakidis, E., Thompson, J.L., Ferrauti, A., Piacentini, M.F..

INTRODUCTION: Hyaluronan (HA) is a non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan widely utilized in medical and pharmaceutical applications, particularly in muscle tissue repair. Recent studies highlight its crucial role in muscle regeneration, demonstrating that HA activates muscle stem cells by promoting JMJD3-driven hyaluronic acid synthesis, facilitating adaptation to inflammation and initiating the repair process (1). METHODS: In this study, we investigated the potential of HA in rescuing myoblasts exposed to oxidative and inflammatory stress using C2C12 murine muscle cells. We first performed a wound healing assay to assess cell monolayer repair at baseline (t0) and after 24 hours (t1), in the presence or absence of an HA blend (2–1000 KDa, 1 mg/ml, Regenflex T&M, Regenyal Laboratories SRL), with or without pro inflammatory agents (IL-1β, TNF-α, LPS) and oxidative stressors (H2O2), known to impair proliferation. RESULTS: Results revealed that HA significantly improved reparative mechanisms even in the presence of inflammatory and oxidative stimuli. Additionally, we evaluated the myogenic potential of C2C12 cells treated with HA by analyzing the expression of key myogenic markers, including MyoD, Mrf4, myogenin, and IGF-1, under the same stress conditions. Preliminary findings indicate that HA exerts a strong pro-proliferative effect, enhancing wound healing within 24 hours post-injury. Moreover, HA treatment upregulated myogenic biomarkers, suggesting a positive impact on differentiation pathways. CONCLUSION: These results support the potential use of this HA formulation as a promising therapeutic strategy for muscle tissue regeneration