title: Protective effects of preconditioned local somatothermal stimulation on neuromuscular plasticity against ischemia--reperfusion injury in rats.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate whether preconditioned local somatotheral stimulation (LSTS) protects the muscle and nerve against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injuries. Male rats were randomly assigned to normal, preconditioned LSTS only, and I/R-injured groups with or without LSTS preconditioning. I/R injuries of the lower limb were induced by rubber band wrapping, followed by measurements of gait function and nerve conduction, muscle pathology, serum enzymatic activity, and the expression of heat-shock protein 70 (HSP-70) in the gastrocnemius muscles. No significant change of neuromuscular function was found between LSTS (-) and LSTS (+) groups on the first day after I/R injury. In contrast, gait stride length, compound motor action potential, and serum creatine phosphokinase MM isoenzyme were significantly improved on the eighth day after one or two doses of preconditioned LSTS and subsequent I/R injury. Western blot analysis disclosed no significant change of HSP-70 expression in the muscle of I/R injured limbs between LSTS (-) and LSTS (+) groups. We conclude that preconditioned LSTS is a safe modality that improves the neuromuscular plasticity against I/R injured limbs, which provides a new strategy for I/R injury in clinical applications, such as intraoperative use of tourniquets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Po-Jung
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Rai-Chi
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: An-Hang
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chen-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Ya-Fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Jen-Hwey
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chiu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000097:blood; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D003402:Creatine Kinase