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Dynamic Foot Stimulation Attenuates Soleus Muscle Atrophy Induced by Hindlimb Unloading in RatsUnloading-induced myofiber atrophy is a phenomenon that occurs in the aging population, bed-ridden patients and astronauts. The objective of this study was to determine whether or not dynamic foot stimulation (DFS) applied to the plantar surface of the rat foot can serve as a countermeasure to the soleus muscle atrophy normally observed in hindlimb unloaded (HU) rats. Thirty mature adult (6-month-old) male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into ambulatory control (AMB), hindlimb unloaded alone (HU), or hindlimb unloaded with the application of DFS (HU+DFS) groups. A dynamic pattern of pressure was applied to the right foot of each HU animal using a specially fabricated boot containing an inflatable air bladder connected to a solenoid air pump controlled by a laptop computer. The anti-atrophic effects of DFS were quantified morphometrically in frozen cross-sections of soleus muscle stained using the metachromatic-ATPase fiber typing technique. Application of DFS during HU significantly counteracted the atrophic response observed in the soleus by preventing approximately 85% of the reduction in Type I myofiber cross-sectional area (CSA) observed during HU. However, DFS did not protect type II fibers of the soleus from HU-induced atrophy or any fiber type in the soleus muscle of the contralateral control leg of the DFS-treated HU animals. These results illustrate that the application of DFS to the rat foot is an effective countermeasure to soleus muscle atrophy induced by HU.
Document ID
20110011362
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Kyparos, Antonios
(Houston Univ. Houston, TX, United States)
Feeback, Daniel L.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Layne, Charles S.
(Houston Univ. Houston, TX, United States)
Martinez, Daniel A.
(Houston Univ. Houston, TX, United States)
Clarke, Mark S. F.
(Houston Univ. Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Subject Category
Aerospace Medicine
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-8748
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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