Endurance capacity in maturing mdx mice is markedly enhanced by combined voluntary wheel running and green tea extract.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18583385
J Appl Physiol. 2008 Jun 26.
Call JA, Voelker KA, Wolff AV, McMillan RP, Evans NP, Hulver MW, Talmadge RJ, Grange RW.
Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is characterized by the absence of dystrophin from muscle cells. Dystrophic muscle cells are susceptible to oxidative stress. We tested the hypothesis that 3 weeks of endurance exercise starting at age 21-d in young male mdx mice would blunt oxidative stress and improve dystrophic skeletal muscle function, and these effects would be enhanced by the antioxidant, green tea extract (GTE). In mice fed normal diet, average daily running distance increased 300% from week 1 to week 3, and total distance over 3 weeks was improved by 128% in mice fed GTE. Running, independent of diet increased serum antioxidant capacity, EDL tetanic stress and total contractile protein content, heart citrate synthase and heart and quadriceps beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activities. GTE, independent of running decreased serum creatine kinase, heart and gastrocnemius lipid peroxidation and increased gastrocnemius citrate synthase activity. These data suggest that both endurance exercise and GTE may be beneficial therapeutic strategies to improve muscle function in mdx mice. Key words: antioxidant capacity, muscular dystrophy, oxidative stress, voluntary wheel running.