The D2- mdx mouse as a preclinical model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a natural history study across two independent sites

Introduction

The quality of preclinical studies for rare diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), relies on the availability of comprehensive natural disease history data. In addition to the classic BL10- mdx mouse, in recent years, the D2- mdx model has increasingly been used as an alternative model due to its reportedly more severely impaired phenotype. To improve our understanding of disease progression in these two DMD models, we conducted a comprehensive natural history study.

Materials and Methods

This involved a cross-sectional analysis of key in vivo and ex vivo outcome measures performed in two independent laboratories, using the same study setup in compliance with TREAT-NMD Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), while also taking advantage of site-specific expertise. Globally, largely comparable results were obtained across the two study sites.

Results

Body composition showed pronounced differences between the strains, with BL10- mdx mice displaying a hypertrophic and D2- mdx mice displaying an atrophic phenotype. Dystrophic mice of each strain exhibited significant alterations of disease-relevant indices related to muscle functionality and integrity, mostly worsening with age, in comparison to their wildtypes. Cardiac function was affected earlier and more severely in D2- mdx mice.

Discussion

Notably, for some parameters, genetic-background related differences were observed, emphasizing the need to include control groups with matching genetic backgrounds in experimental designs.

Conclusions

Collectively, our natural history study provides benchmark data for these two mdx mouse strains to guide model selection for preclinical DMD studies, allowing accurate data interpretation.

Highlights

• Distinct body composition phenotypes : BL10- mdx mice exhibit pseudohypertrophy while D2- mdx mice display pronounced atrophy.

• Earlier cardiac dysfunction in D2- mdx : D2- mdx mice develop reduced ejection fraction and stroke volume from 28 weeks, while BL10- mdx only at 52 weeks.

• Genetic background-dependent variations : Intrinsic deficits in wildtype D2 mice demonstrate that genetic background influences outcome measures independent of dystrophic pathology.

• Comparable ex vivo muscle physiology : Despite divergent in vivo phenotypes, isolated muscle contractile parameters show similar impairment in both dystrophic models.

• Multi-site standardized validation : Cross-sectional study at two independent laboratories following harmonized TREAT-NMD Standard Operating Procedures.