-Although it is a widely used resource for the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries, immobilization causes deleterious effects in muscle tissue after a short period of time. This study aimed to evaluate the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles of obese and protein malnourished animals under joint immobilization condition. Overall, 28 adult male mice were used (C57 / BL6), being divided into four groups (N = 7): Control Group (CG), Immobilized Control Group (ICG), Immobilized Obese Group (IOG) and Immobilized Malnourished Group (IMG). The immobilization protocol was performed by the use of adhesive tape and plaster. The conditions and obesity and protein malnutrition have been developed through the ingestion of diets specific for each group of animals. The histomorphometric analysis of muscles evaluated area and the diameter of muscle fibers. All immobilized groups showed reduction in the area and diameter of muscle fibers when compared to GC. Comparisons among immobilized groups showed that the area and diameter of muscle fibers of IOG and IMG were lower than ICG. The immobilization protocol caused reduction in muscle trophism in animals, and obese and malnourished animals suffered high losses under condition of muscle atrophy.Key words: Immobilization; Muscular atrophy; Protein malnutrition; Obesity.
Resumo -Embora seja um recurso muito utilizado para tratamento de lesões musculoesqueléticas, a imobilização causa efeitos deletérios no tecido muscular após curto período de tempo. O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar os músculos gastrocnêmio e tibial anterior de animais obesos e desnutridos proteicamente sob a condição de imobilização articular. Foram utilizados 28 camundongos (C57/BL6) machos adultos, distribuídos em quatro grupos (N=7): Grupo controle (GC), Grupo Controle Imobilizado (GCI), Grupo Obeso imobilizado (GOI) e Grupo Desnutrido Imobilizado (GDI