Influence of intravenous injection of hydroxyapatite on mouse movement ability

Abstract

Lactic acid is usually formed during strenuous exercise, and a large amount of lactic acid and slow anaerobic glycolysis in muscle lead to limitations of movement ability. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is an alkaline inorganic material with a good biocompatibility. It slowly degrades in vivo and releases trace amounts of calcium ions, reducing cell damage by reacting with polylactic acid and neutralizing local acid environment. Whether HAp can reduce the concentration of lactic acid in vivo and improve movement ability is not yet clear. Here, after eight days of training, 40 mice were randomly divided into four groups: control, distilled water, sodium bicarbonate and HAp group. After one day of rest, the mice were intravenously injected via the lateral tail veins with 1 ml distilled water, sodium bicarbonate and HAp suspension (2.2 mg/ml), respectively, and subjected to a swimming exhaustive experiment (load 10%). The swimming time of mice in the water, under water and total time were recorded. The exhaustive exercise mice were immediately subject to abdominal cavity anaesthesia. The concentrations of blood, gastrocnemius and myocardial lactic acid as well as serum LDH activity were detected. We demonstrate that HAp can significantly prolong swimming time and improve serum LDH activity, but does not affect lactic acid concentration. In conclusion, intravenous injection of HAp nanoparticles can significantly improve the exhaustive swimming ability of mice mainly because of the elevated blood LDH activity induced by HAp.