Abstract
Background: Acute phase exercises can cause severe morphological damages to skeletal muscles involved in those activities. According to the growing importance of sports supplements, the aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the effect of L- Arginine supplements on the oxidative and nitrosative stress induced in gastrocnemius muscle acute exercises in rats.
Methods: Thirty two male Vistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: sedentary control (SC); sedentary control with L-Arg treatment (SC + Arg); exhaustive exercise (E); and exhaustive exercise with L-Arg treatment (E + Arg). E and E+Arg groups performed a 1 hour acute running test, or until exhaustion on a treadmill (16-26 m/min) and Arg and E+Arg groups treated orally with the L-Arg (2% diet, for 30 days). Sampling was performed 1 hour after exercise. Nitric oxide production was evaluated by measuring nitrite formation, using Griess reagent. oxidant-Antioxidant’s ratio was measured as TOS / TAC levels.
Results: Acute exercise decreased NO in (SC + Arg), (E) and (E + Arg) groups compared to the control group but it was significant change just in (E + Arg) group. The antioxidant-oxidant’s balance of TOS / TAC decreased in (E) group compared to the control group. CPK increased in (E), (SC + Arg) and (E+Arg) groups compared to the control group (SC). (p≤0.05).
Conclusion: The results of the present study didn’t show existence of oxidative-nitrosative stress and supplementation effect in gastrocnemius muscle 1 h after the acute phase exercise.