Effects of exhaustive exercises, with different intensities, on oxidative stress markers in rat plasma and skeletal muscle

Abstract

Summary Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exhaustive exercises, with different intensities, on oxidative stress markers in rat plasma and skeletal muscle. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 24) were randomly divided into the following four groups: control (CON), low-intensity exercise (LE), high-intensity interval exercise (HE) and incremental exercise (IE). The animals in the latter three groups performed exercises in which they ran until exhaustion as follows: Animals in the LE group ran at 20 m/min (6° graded); the HE group ran at 40 m/min for 30 s (0° graded) with a rest interval of 60 s between each run; and the IE group ran at 15 m/min (6° graded), initially, with the running speed gradually increased by 5 m/min, every 10 min. Immediately following the exercise, a blood sample was drawn, and followed by the gastrocnemius muscle and liver were quickly removed. These samples were analysed for lactate concentration, oxidative stress markers, and glycogen contents. Results Plasma oxidative stress markers in the LE and HE groups demonstrated no change, while plasma protein carbonyl (PC) levels and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the IE group were significantly increased compared with the CON group (P Conclusion Incremental exhaustive exercise elevates the plasma PC levels and TAC, but does not change skeletal muscle oxidative stress markers in rats.