Correlation between neural and muscle proteins in rats subjected to hindlimb disuse: a brief communication

Abstract

Immobilization is a process that affects many bodily elements, including the balance between protein synthesis and degradation, resulting in atrophy. The aim of this study was to establish the change in total protein content in skeletal muscle and neural areas of rats after paw immobilization. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee for Animal Use in State University of Ceara, prot. n. 10725887-0. We used 16 female Wistar rats approximately 8 weeks old divided into: control group (C) and disuse group (D). The disuse group underwent two weeks immobilization involving the trunk and hind limb. Total protein content was evaluated in gastrocnemius muscle (GM), prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus (HC), striated body (SB) and cerebellum (CB). For statistical analyses we used Student's t-test and Spearman correlation. When investigating brain protein content, changes were observed in three of the four investigated brain areas: PFC, SB and CB, all featuring protein reduction in the disuse group. Exists a moderate and positive statistical correlation between muscle proteins (GM), and proteins in the SB and CB. There is integration between upper motor controlling centers and muscle structures involved in a condition of musculoskeletal disuse after immobilization of a body segment.