Hood, DavidKhemraj, Priyanka2025-04-102025-04-102024-10-012025-04-10https://hdl.handle.net/10315/42773Skeletal muscle health is highly dependent on the intricate mitochondrial reticulum that exhibits high levels of adaptability. It is now recognized that mitochondrial perturbations can activate innate immune pathways, such as the NLRP3 inflammasome complex, by augmenting the response against damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). The objective of this study was to investigate how various metabolic conditions affect innate immune activation and mitochondrial health within skeletal muscle, which has not been fully elucidated. To investigate this, we assessed innate immune signaling pathways and mitochondrial parameters within a model of muscle denervation and an aging model combined with endurance training. Our results suggest that NLRP3 inflammasome signaling is responsive to alterations in skeletal muscle activity and can be attenuated with chronic endurance training. Furthermore, we highlight a differential response to exercise with aged muscle in innate immune signaling. This work aims to further the understanding of innate immune signaling pathways within skeletal muscle, which can potentially highlight therapeutic targets to regulate its activation under divergent metabolic conditions.Author owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.Electronic Thesis or Dissertation2025-04-10MitochondriaAgingDenervationEndurance trainingNLRP3 Inflammasome