Effect of early low-intensity exercise on rat hind-limb muscles following acute ischemic stroke.
This study examined the effects of daily low-intensity exercise following acute stroke on mass, Type I and II fiber cross-sectional area, and myofibrillar protein content of hind-limb muscles in a rat model. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups (n = 7-9 per group): stroke (occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery [RMCA]), control (sham RMCA procedure), exercise, and stroke-exercise. Beginning 48 hours post-stroke induction/sham operation, rats in the exercise group had 6 sessions of exercise in which they ran on a treadmill at grade 10 for 20 min/day at 10 m/min. At 8 days poststroke, all rats were anesthetized and soleus, plantaris, and gastrocnemius muscles were dissected from both the affected and unaffected sides. After 6 sessions of exercise following acute ischemic stroke, the stroke-exercise group showed the following significant (p < .05) increases compared to the stroke-only group: body weight and dietary intake, muscle weight of affected soleus and both affected and unaffected gastrocnemius muscle, Type I fiber cross-sectional area of affected soleus and both affected and unaffected gastrocnemius muscle, Type II fiber cross-sectional area of the unaffected soleus, both affected and unaffected plantaris and gastrocnemius muscle, Type II fiber distribution of affected gastrocnemius muscle, and myofibrillar protein content of both affected and unaffected soleus muscle. Daily low-intensity exercise following acute stroke attenuates hind-limb muscle atrophy in both affected and unaffected sides. The effects of exercise are more pronounced in the soleus and gastrocnemius as compared to the plantaris muscle.
College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. machoe@snu.ac.kr
Myoung-Ae
MA
Choe
Gyeong Ju
GJ
An
Yoon-Kyong
YK
Lee
Ji Hye
JH
Im
Smi
S
Choi-Kwon
Margaret
M
Heitkemper
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D002149:Energy Intake; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006614:Hindlimb; D008297:Male; D018656:Muscle Fibers, Fast-Twitch / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D018657:Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009210:Myofibrils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D009929:Organ Size; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*; D013997:Time Factors; D020301:Vasospasm, Intracranial / Q000150:complications
D009124:Muscle Proteins