Author/Authors :
Kurosaka, Mitsutoshi Juntendo University - Graduate School of Health and Sports Science - Department of Exercise Physiology, Japan , Naito, Hisashi Juntendo University - Graduate School of Health and Sports Science - Department of Exercise Physiology, Japan , Ogura, Yuji Juntendo University - Graduate School of Health and Sports Science - Department of Exercise Physiology, Japan , Katamoto, Shizuo Juntendo University - Graduate School of Health and Sports Science - Department of Exercise Physiology, Japan , Kojima, Atsushi St. Marianna University - School of Medicine - Department of Physiology, Japan , Goto, Katsumasa St. Marianna University - School of Medicine - Department of Physiology, Japan
Abstract :
This study investigated the effects of voluntary wheel running on satellite cells in the rat plantaris muscle. Seventeen 5-weekold male Wistar rats were assigned to a control (n = 5) or training (n = 12) group. Each rat in the training group ran voluntarily in a running-wheel cage for 8 weeks. After the training period, the animals were anesthetized, and the plantaris muscles were removed, weighed, and analyzed immunohistochemically and biochemically. Although there were no significant differences in muscle weight or fiber area between the groups, the numbers of satellite cells and myonuclei per muscle fiber, percentage of satellite cells, and citrate synthase activity were significantly higher in the training group compared with the control group (p 0.05). The percentage of satellite cells was also positively correlated with distance run in the training group (r = 0.61, p 0.05). Voluntary running can induce an increase in the number of satellite cells without changing the mean fiber area in the rat plantaris muscle; this increase in satellite cell content is a function of distance run.
