A comparison of protective effects between electrical and pulsed‐magnetic stimulation in the deep layer of skeletal muscles under disuse condition

Abstract

Electrical stimulation (ES) fails to prevent the muscle atrophy in the deep layer of extremities and trunk because ES cannot easily pass through the adipose tissue to reach the deep muscles. Pulsed‐magnetic stimulation (MS) might reach to the deep muscles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of ES and MS on the deep muscle atrophy in rat calf muscles. Rats were randomly divided into the following groups: control, hindlimb unloading (HU), HU plus ES and HU plus MS. Transcutaneous ES and MS was carried out for calf muscles at 20% of the supramaximal stimulus, once a day, for 2 weeks during unloading. Unloading resulted in a decrease of muscle mass and muscle fiber cross‐sectional area and an increase of MuRF‐1 expression level in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. HU plus ES and HU plus MS groups were confirmed that the relative muscle ratio and fiber cross‐sectional area were higher, and the level of MuRF‐1 expression was lower in the gastrocnemius muscle compared with HU group. However, electrical stimulation failed to prevent the decrease of relative muscle ratio and fiber cross‐sectional area and the increase of MuRF‐1 expression level in the soleus muscle. In addition, pulsed‐magnetic stimulation increased the relative muscle ratio and fiber cross‐sectional area and decreased the MuRF‐1 expression level in the soleus muscle compared with electrical stimulation. These results indicate that pulsed‐magnetic stimulation is more effective in the prevention of deep muscle atrophy than electrical stimulation.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.