Abstract
Abstract Introduction: Ageing is responsible for structural alterations, declining of all physiological variables, including range of motion and skeletal muscle function, known as sarcopenia. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of stretching on muscle morphometry in ovariectomized rats. Method: 21 female Wistar rats (12 weeks, 218 ± 22 g) were divided into 4 groups: control (CONTROL, n = 3) intact; ovariectomized and hysterectomized (OH, n = 6); Stretching (STRET, n = 6); ovariectomized and hysterectomized and stretching (OHS, n = 6). The rats were subjected to ovariectomy and hysterectomy. The stretching protocol of the soleus muscle lasted 10 repetitions of 1 minute with 45s interval between each repetition performed 3 times a week for 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, the rats were weighed and the muscles of both hind limbs were removed weighed and analyzed at muscle length; serial sarcomere number; sarcomere length; muscle fiber cross-sectional area (MFCSA) and percentage of connective tissue. Results: The final body weight increased in all groups. The serial sarcomere number of STRET was greater than the OH. The muscle fibers’ cross-sectional area of OHS was higher than CONTROL. Conclusion: It can be concluded that ovariectomy and hysterectomy prevented sarcomerogenesis even when stretching was applied. However, the stretching protocol enhanced muscle trophismof ovariectomized and hysterectomized rats. It might be suggested that longitudinal growth (serial sarcomeres) and radial (ASTFM) are differently regulated by stretching in intact and/or estrogen depleted (ovariectomy and hysterectomy) skeletal muscle.
Highlights
Ageing is responsible for structural alterations, declining of all physiological variables, including range of motion and skeletal muscle function, known as sarcopenia
The female rats (n = 21; aged 12 weeks, 218 ± 22 g) were divided into 4 groups: CONTROL (n = 3), rats kept freely moving in their cage for 7 weeks; ovariectomy and hysterectomy (OH) (n = 6), rats were submitted to ovariectomy, hysterectomy and kept in their cages for 7 weeks (18); STRET (n = 6), rats stayed for 4 weeks freely on their cages and on the 5th week the stretching protocol initiated on the left soleus muscle, 3 times per week, for 3 weeks; OHS (n = 6), rats were submitted to ovariectomy, hysterectomy, waited 4 weeks and the stretching protocol for 3 weeks [18]
The STRET increased serial sarcomere number compared to the OH (7762 ± 531 vs 6209± 566, p = 0.01, Figure 1C)
Summary
Ageing is responsible for structural alterations, declining of all physiological variables, including range of motion and skeletal muscle function, known as sarcopenia. The effect of sarcopenia is more pronounced on women because the menopausal transition is associated to a decline in female hormones, especially estrogen, which induces changes on skeletal muscle and/or lifestyle modifications [3]. Loss of muscle mass and strength diminish muscle function that can result in significant morbidity and mortality for the elderly [4].musculoskeletal alterations can induce decrease on range of motion (ROM) limiting the older adult’s ability to perform daily activities [5]. It has been reported that stretching programs can ameliorate the loss of muscle mass, performance, flexibility, and improve well-being and independence of ageing people, especially women [10,11,12,13]
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