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Clenbuterol has a greater influence on untrained than on previously trained skeletal muscle in rats

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Abstract

The effects of clenbuterol, a selectiveβ 2-adrenergic agonist, and of exercise training on the properties of skeletal muscle were studied in the hindlimb of sedentary and trained rats. A 2-week training programme, consisting of climbing on a grid with a load attached to the tail, did not increase the muscle mass of the soleus, the plantaris and the gastrocnemius muscles or modify the isometricin situ contractile properties of the medial gastrocnemius muscle. The only change observed in a 12-week training regimen was a significant increase in contractile forces (expressed in grams per gram of muscle) of the medial gastrocnemius muscle at sub-tetanic stimulating frequencies (twitch 42%, 25Hz 45% and 50Hz 47%). Both training programmes significantly increased fatigue resistance of the medial gastrocnemius muscle. A 2-week oral treatment with clenbuterol significantly increased the muscle mass of the soleus (19.8%), plantaris (16.9%) and gastrocnemius (15.3%) muscles in all animals treated with the agonist. However, clenbuterol had different effects in animals beginning their training programme than in animals that had been trained for the previous 10 weeks. Specifically, clenbuterol caused a significant increase in gastrocnemius muscle mass in the former group but not in the latter. These results suggest that the responses to the combination of clenbuterol and training in previously trained skeletal muscles are not as marked as those observed in untrained muscles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département d'Education Physique, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, H3C 3J7, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Canada

    René J. L. Murphy, Louise Béliveau & Phillip F. Gardiner

  2. Department of Physiology, Emory University Medical School, 1648 Pierce Dr., Rm. 238, 30322, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Kevin L. Seburn

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  1. René J. L. Murphy
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  2. Louise Béliveau
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  3. Kevin L. Seburn
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  4. Phillip F. Gardiner
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Murphy, R.J.L., Béliveau, L., Seburn, K.L. et al. Clenbuterol has a greater influence on untrained than on previously trained skeletal muscle in rats. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 73, 304–310 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02425491

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