Effect of Vitamin E on the Exhaustive Exercise-Induced Damage in the Skeletal Muscle of Adult Male Albino Rat: A Functional, Histological and Ultrastructural Study, AYMAN S. AMER and GHADA S. MAHMOUD
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Effect of Vitamin E on the Exhaustive Exercise-Induced Damage in the Skeletal Muscle of Adult Male Albino Rat: A Functional, Histological and Ultrastructural Study, AYMAN S. AMER and GHADA S. MAHMOUD
Abstract
Background: Swimming is a minor traumatic exercise for animals and has been commonly used to elucidate the physi-ologic and molecular responses of the muscle to exercise stress. Short term exhausting exercise increases the formation of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS). Vitamin E (a-tocopherol) is a fat soluble vitamin that can inhibit the gener-ation of ROS in the body as it acts as an antioxidant.
Aim of the Study: The present study was designed to investigate the possible protective effect of vitamin E against the untrained exhaustive exercise-induced damage in the skeletal muscle, and on the plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines in adult male albino rat.
Material and Methods: 24 adult male albino rats, age 3 months and about 90-120g body weight were purchased from Animal House, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University. All animals were kept in stainless-steel cages at room temperature at a natural photoperiod with free access to standard rat chow and tap water. Animals were randomly divided into 3 groups (8 rats each): Group C (control group), Group S (submitted to exhaustive swimming stress group), and Group SE (sub-mitted to exhaustive swimming stress plus vitamin E-received group). The animals from groups S and SE were submitted to bouts of swimming stress for 1 hour daily for a week. The rats from SE group received oral gavage administration of vitamin E (100mg/kg/day) before swimming stress.
Results: Exhaustive swimming stress in group S signifi-cantly elevated plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), interferon gamma (INF-g) and C reactive protein (CRP). Light microscopy of gastrocnemius muscle specimens showed in group S hypervascularity, apparent increase in the number of interstitial nuclei, splitting of muscle fibers, and central location of nuclei compared to C group. Transmission electron microscopy revealed marked skeletal muscle cell damage with destructed myofibrils and loss of some myofilaments, and areas of degeneration and vacuolation, with irregularity of the Z lines, and apparent irregular shape and small size of mitochondria were present in group S compared to group C. Administration of vitamin E before exposure to exercise in group SE significantly decreased TNF-a and INF-g, but didn't change CRP level. Vitamin E supplementation also increased animal total body weight, and increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression as detected by immunohistochemistry, and ameliorated the structural chang-es in the gastrocnemius muscle as shown both by light and transmission electron microscopy in group SE compared to groups C and S.
Conclusion: Vitamin E supplementation has promising protective role against exercise-induced elevation of cytokines and muscular damage.