Protective effect of melatonin on exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage

• Grant number: 20/01750-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2021
• End date: December 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Wladimir Rafael Beck
• Grantee: Felipe Graciano de Paiva
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Regular physical exercise stimulates a positive adaptive process in the body, dependent on the inflammation process, changes in the redox state, and certain tissue damage. However, over-activation of these events can become negative, so, exercise practitioners seek nutritional compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant features in order to decrease or prevent muscle damage. Due to its properties, the objective of the study will be to evaluate if the melatonin administered prior to physical exercise cause a protective effect on the damage induced in the skeletal muscle by intense physical exercise. Wistar rats will be divided into 3 groups (control and exercised with or without melatonin). The animals will be submitted to a muscle damage induction protocol 30 min after receiving melatonin (I.P. 10mg.kg-1) and euthanized 24 hours after. Blood samples will be obtained for analysis of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase, as well as a fragment of the gastrocnemius muscle for analysis of the MyoD by immunofluorescence, inflammatory parameters by Hematoxylin-Eosin and, the cellular redox state with measurement of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and thiobarbituric acid. In the case of parametric statistics, the one-way ANOVA analysis of variance test will be used, with Newmann-Keuls post hoc test when necessary (P<0.05).