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Repeated bouts of fast velocity eccentric contractions induce atrophy of gastrocnemius muscle in rats

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Abstract

One bout of exercise consisting of fast velocity eccentric contractions has been shown to increase muscle protein degradation in rats. The present study tested the hypothesis that muscle atrophy would be induced after four bouts of fast velocity eccentric contractions, but not after four bouts of slow velocity eccentric contractions. Male Wistar rats were randomly placed into 3 groups; fast (180°/s) velocity (180EC, n = 7), slow (30°/s) velocity eccentric exercise (30EC, n = 7), or sham-treatment group (control, n = 7). The 180EC and 30EC groups received 4 sessions of 4 sets of 5 eccentric contractions of triceps surae muscles by extending the ankle joint during evoked electrical stimulation of the muscles, and the control group had torque measures, every 2 days, and all rats were sacrificed 1 day after the fourth session. Medial and lateral gastrocnemius wet mass were 4–6 % smaller, cross-sectional area of medial gastrocnemius was 6–7 % smaller, and isometric tetanic torque of triceps surae muscles was 36 % smaller (p < 0.05) for 180EC than control at 1 day after the fourth session, but no such differences were evident between 30EC and control. The expressions of atrophy-related molecules such as FoxO1, FoxO3 and myostatin were upregulated (78–229 %) only for 180EC, but an increase in phosphorylated p70s6k (227 %) was found only for 30EC at 1 day after the fourth session (p < 0.05). The level of Bax, a pro-apoptotic protein, was greater (p < 0.05) for 180EC than control. These results support the hypothesis that muscles are atrophied by repeated bouts of fast but not slow velocity eccentric contractions.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B; 23700784) from KAKENHI.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Education, Okayama University, 3-1-1, Tsushimanaka, Kita, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan

    Eisuke Ochi

  2. Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research, School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia

    Kazunori Nosaka

  3. Graduate School of Health and Sport Science, Nippon Sport Science University, 7-1-1, Fukasawa, Setagaya, Tokyo, 158-8508, Japan

    Arata Tsutaki, Karina Kouzaki & Koichi Nakazato

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  1. Eisuke Ochi
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  2. Kazunori Nosaka
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  3. Arata Tsutaki
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  4. Karina Kouzaki
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  5. Koichi Nakazato
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Correspondence to Eisuke Ochi.

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Ochi, E., Nosaka, K., Tsutaki, A. et al. Repeated bouts of fast velocity eccentric contractions induce atrophy of gastrocnemius muscle in rats. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 36, 317–327 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10974-015-9426-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10974-015-9426-0

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