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Moderate physical training attenuates muscle-specific effects on fibre type composition in adult rats submitted to a perinatal maternal low-protein diet

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Abstract

Aim

To verify whether moderate physical training affects the muscle fibre composition of adult rats subjected to a low protein diet during the perinatal period.

Methods

Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups according to their mother’s diet during gestation and lactation: control (17% casein, C) and low-protein (8% casein, LP). On postnatal day 60, half of each group was submitted to moderate physical training (8 weeks, 5 days/week−1, 60 min/day−1, at 70% of VO2max, T) or not. After the physical training period, soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were removed. Myofibrillar ATPase staining was used to classify muscle fibres as type I, IIa, IIb, and intermediate.

Results

In the EDL muscle, LP rats showed no changes in the fibre type proportion. Both the C + T and LP + T groups showed a higher percentage of fibres of type IIa, and a lower proportion of fibres of type IIb. In the soleus muscle, LP animals showed a reduction in the proportion of fibre types I and intermediate. C + T rats showed an increase in the fibre type I and IIa. In the LP + T rats, the proportions of the fibre types remained similar to control rats.

Conclusions

Moderate physical training acts as a positive environmental stimulus that reverts the effects of a perinatal low-protein diet on the proportion of fibre types in skeletal muscle.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Lucia Pires for technical assistance, and to Edeones França. This research was supported by the Foundation to Support Science and Research in Pernambuco State—Brazil (FACEPE) and the National Council for Research—Brazil (CNPq).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Núcleo de Educação Física e Ciências do Esporte, Centro Acadêmico de Vitória CAV, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Carol Góis Leandro, Filippe Falcão-Tebas, Cláudia Jacques Lagranha & Ana Elisa Toscano

  2. Department of Anatomy and Morphology, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Wellington da Silva Ribeiro & Sandra Lopes-de-Souza

  3. Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    José Antônio dos Santos & Adriano Bento-Santos

  4. Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Carlos Henrique Lima-Coelho & Raul Manhães-de-Castro

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  1. Carol Góis Leandro
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  2. Wellington da Silva Ribeiro
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Correspondence to Carol Góis Leandro.

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Leandro, C.G., da Silva Ribeiro, W., dos Santos, J.A. et al. Moderate physical training attenuates muscle-specific effects on fibre type composition in adult rats submitted to a perinatal maternal low-protein diet. Eur J Nutr 51, 807–815 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-011-0259-3

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