Fig. 1

Acetyl genistin facilitates C2C12 myotube differentiation. a Chemical structure of acetyl genistin. b C2C12 cells were cultured in a medium containing different concentrations (0, 1, 5, 10, 20, and 40 μM) of acetyl genistin for 24 h. Cell viability was measured using a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The data is shown as a percentage of viability relative to the control, and the bars in the graph indicate the mean ± standard deviation (SD) (n = 4 per group). c The cells were stained using the May–Grunwald and Giemsa staining methods on day 2, day 4, and day 6. They were incubated with 40 μM acetyl genistin in the presence or absence of 1 μM dexamethasone, according to the respective time points. d Measurement of myotube widths based on images stained with May–Grunwald and Giemsa. The presented data represent the mean ± SD (n = 100). *** p < 0.001 vs. CTL. e Fusion Index. We counted the total number of nuclei incorporated into myotubes and the overall number of nuclei. The fusion index was then determined as the percentage of total nuclei incorporated into myotubes. * p < 0.05 vs. CTL. CTL control, AG acetyl genistin