HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free All Versions of this Article: 102/2/698    most recent 01188.2005v1 Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Menezes, L. G. Articles by Baddini Martinez, J. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Menezes, L. G. Articles by Baddini Martinez, J. A.

Creatine supplementation attenuates corticosteroid-induced muscle wasting and impairment of exercise performance in rats

Departments of ¹Internal Medicine, ²Neurology, Psychiatry, and Medical Psychology, ³Pathology, and ⁴Social Medicine, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Submitted 17 September 2005 ; accepted in final form 17 October 2006

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether creatine (Cr) could attenuate the deleterious effects of high doses of dexamethasone (Dexa) on body mass, exercise performance, and respiratory variables of rodents. Forty-four Wistar rats performed incremental maximal exercise tests. They were then assigned to four groups: G1: subcutaneous (SC) and intraperitoneal (IP) saline; G2: SC saline and IP Cr (250 mg·kg^–1·day^–1); G3: SC Dexa (7.5 mg·kg^–1·day^–1) and IP saline; G4: SC Dexa and IP Cr. New exercise tests and analysis of the respiratory pattern under resting conditions and after stimulation with doxapram (2 mg/kg IP) were performed after 18 days. Post- minus pretreatment differences were compared between groups. G3 and G4 showed a significant impairment in body mass gain compared with G1 and G2 (P < 0.05) (G1: 65.3 ± 26.1, G2: 93.1 ± 27.4, G3: –18.4 ± 20.1, G4: 9.8 ± 23.1 kg x 10^–3). Similar results were observed for maximal oxygen consumption (G1: 9.5 ± 8.5, G2: 25.8 ± 14.5, G3: –25.5 ± 6.0, G4: –4.8 ± 9.5 ml·kg^–1·min^–1) and test duration (G1: 43.0 ± 45.0, G2: 72.0 ± 59.5, G3: –165.0 ± 60.6, G4: –48.0 ± 48.5 s). Simultaneous use of Cr significantly attenuated the Dexa-induced impairment of the last two variables. Cr attenuated Dexa-induced gastrocnemius and diaphragm muscle weight losses and the atrophy of gastrocnemius type IIb fibers. Cr supplementation had only small effects on Dexa-induced respiratory changes. These results suggest that Cr may play a role in the prophylaxis or treatment of steroid-induced myopathy.

steroids; toxicity; exercise tolerance; muscular atrophy; respiration; drug effects

This article has been cited by other articles:

				O Schakman, H Gilson, and J P Thissen Mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced myopathy J. Endocrinol., April 1, 2008; 197(1): 1 - 10. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]