Swimming Improves Memory and Antioxidant Defense in an Animal Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Abstract

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disease, which is associated to progressive skeletal muscle degeneration. In humans, DMD has early onset, causes developmental delays, and is a devastating disease that drastically diminishes the quality of life of the young individuals affected. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a swimming protocol on memory and oxidative stress in an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Male mdx and wild type mice within 28 days were used in this study. The animals were trained in a stepped swimming protocol for four consecutive weeks. It was veri ed that swimming was able to reduce signi cantly the levels of lipid peroxidation and protein carbonilation in gastrocnemius and hippocampus and striatum in exercised animals. Swimming has also prevented lipid peroxidation in diaphragm. Besides, this swimming protocol was able to increase free thiols in gastrocnemius, diaphragm and in all central nervous system structures. These results showed that a protocol of swimming as an aerobic exercise of low intensity, for four weeks, prevented aversive memory and habituation in mdx mice.

Voluntary wheel exercise training affects locomotor muscle, but not the diaphragm in the rat

“…In principle, endurance exercise is capable to increase SOD expression/activity in rat diaphragm but all the data we know relate to treadmill training ( Lawler et al, 1994 ; Powers and Criswell, 1996 ; Oh-ishi et al, 1997 ). Of note, endurance exercise was shown to improve oxidative stress in the diaphragm in mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy ( Nocetti et al, 2021 ) and in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( Zhang et al, 2021 ). Comparative studies of the diaphragm and locomotor muscles in this aspect are limited to the effects of acute treadmill exhaustive running test, during which changes in antioxidant enzyme activities were less pronounced in the diaphragm compared to that in hindlimb muscles ( Caillaud et al, 1999 ).…”