Search

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of early and long-term low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers after acute-traumatic muscle injury in Wistar rats. Animals were randomly divided into the following four groups: control group (CG), muscle injury group (IG), CG + LLLT, and IG + LLLT: laser treatment with doses of 3 and 5 J/cm(2). Muscle traumatic injury was induced by a single-impact blunt trauma in the rat gastrocnemius. Irradiation for 3 or 5 J/cm(2) was initiated 2, 12, and 24 h after muscle trauma induction, and the treatment was continued for five consecutive days. All the oxidant markers investigated. namely thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance, carbonyl, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase, were increased as soon as 2 h after muscle injury and remained increased up to 24 h. These alterations were prevented by LLLT at a 3 J/cm(2) dose given 2 h after the trauma. Similarly, LLLT prevented the trauma-induced proinflammatory state characterized by IL-6 and IL-10. In parallel, trauma-induced reduction in BDNF and VEGF, vascular remodeling and fiber-proliferating markers, was prevented by laser irradiation. In order to test whether the preventive effect of LLLT was also reflected in muscle functionality, we tested the locomotor activity, by measuring distance traveled and the number of rearings in the open field test. LLLT was effective in recovering the normal locomotion, indicating that the irradiation induced biostimulatory effects that accelerated or resolved the acute inflammatory response as well as the oxidant state elicited by the muscle trauma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of therapeutic pulsed ultrasound with gold nanoparticles on oxidative stress parameters after traumatic muscle injury in Wistar rats. The animals were randomly divided into nine groups (n = 6 each): sham (uninjured muscle); muscle injury without treatment; muscle injury and treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide (15 mg/kg); muscle injury and treatment with gold nanoparticles (27 µg); muscle injury and treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide + gold nanoparticles (Plus); muscle injury and therapeutic pulsed ultrasound; muscle injury and therapeutic pulsed ultrasound + dimethyl sulfoxide; muscle injury and therapeutic pulsed ultrasound + gold nanoparticles; and muscle injury and therapeutic pulsed ultrasound + Plus. Gastrocnemius injury was induced by a single-impact blunt trauma. Therapeutic pulsed ultrasound (6-min application, frequency 1.0 MHz, intensity 0.8 W/cm(2)) was used 2, 12, 24, and 48 h after trauma. Mitochondrial superoxide generation, lipid peroxidation, and protein carbonylation, and the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase were evaluated. The increase in the superoxide production and TBARS and carbonyl levels observed in the control group after muscle damage were reduced in animals exposed to therapeutic pulsed ultrasound plus nanoparticles. Similarly, antioxidants enzymes showed a decreased activity with the same treatment. Our work suggest that therapeutic pulsed ultrasound + dimethyl sulfoxide + gold nanoparticles has beneficial effects on the muscle healing process by inducing a decrease in oxidative stress parameters and most likely decreasing the deleterious effects of the inflammatory response.

The purpose of the present investigation was to identify muscle damage, inflammatory response and oxidative stress blood markers in athletes undertaking the ultra-endurance MultiSport Brazil race. Eleven well-trained male athletes (34.3 ± 3.1 years, 74.0 ± 7.6 kg; 172.2 ± 5.1 cm) participated in the study and performed the race, which consisted of about 90 km of alternating off-road running, mountain biking and kayaking. Twelve hours before and up to 15 minutes after the race a 10 mL blood sample was drawn in order to measure the following parameters: lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase activities, lipid peroxidation, catalase activity, protein carbonylation, respiratory chain complexes I, II and IV activities, oxygen consumption and neopterin concentrations. After the race, plasma lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase activities were significantly increased. Erythrocyte TBA-RS levels and plasma protein carbonylation were markedly augmented in post-race samples. Additionally, mitochondrial complex II activity and oxygen consumption in post-race platelet-rich plasma were also increased. These altered biochemical parameters were accompanied by increased plasma neopterin levels. The ultra-endurance event provoked systemic inflammation (increased neopterin) accompanied by marked oxidative stress, likely by increasing oxidative metabolism (increased oxidative mitochondrial function). This might be advantageous during prolonged exercise, mainly for efficient substrate oxidation at the mitochondrial level, even when tissue damage is induced.