Muscle fibrosis, NF-κB, and TGF-β are differentially altered in two models of paralysis (Botox vs. Neurectomy)

: Volumetric muscle loss results in intramuscular axotomy, denervating muscle distal to the injury and leading to paralysis, denervation, and loss of muscle function. Once the nerve is damaged, paralyzed skeletal muscle will atrophy and accumulate noncontractile connective tissue. The objective of this study was to determine differences in connective tissue, atrophy, and inflammatory signaling between two paralysis models, botulinum toxin (Botox), which blocks acetylcholine transmission while keeping nerves intact, and neurectomy, which eliminates all nerve-to-muscle signaling.