Muscle Response to the Association of Statin and Physical Exercise in Rats

• Published in: International journal of morphology 2009-12, Vol.27 (4), p.1155-1161
• Main Authors: Bonfim, Mariana Rotta, Camargo Filho, José Carlos Silva, Vanderlei, Luiz Carlos Marques, Padulla, Susimary Aparecida Trevizan, Accioly, Marilita Falângola, Souza, Dorotéia Rossi Silva, Azoubel, Reinaldo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ANATOMY & MORPHOLOGY
• ISSN: 0717-9502; 0717-9502
• DOI: 10.4067/S0717-95022009000400031

Physical exercise and statins, which are recommended for the treatment of dyslipidemia, are independently associated to the occurrence of muscle injury. The objective is analyze the effect of aerobic exercise associated to the use of simvastatin on the morphology of the gastrocnemius muscle. Thirty Wistar rats were divided into six groups, two of which received a standard diet (1 sedentary and 1 exercised) and four (1 sedentary with medication, 1 sedentary without medication, 1 exercised with medication, 1 exercised without medication) received a hypercholesterolemic diet (standard diet with the addition of cholesterol and coconut oil). Simvastatin (20 mg/Kg) was administered five days a week for eight weeks, together with aerobic training on a treadmill (9.75 m/min) for 60 minutes a day. The gastrocnemius muscle was removed, sliced, stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin and submitted to a histochemical reaction to determine mitochondrial activity. The data were analyzed using a paired t-test, analysis of variance and Scheffé's post hoc test (p