Effect of a Lower Limb Restless Period on Expression of Mir-1 and Mir-206 Neural Muscle Genes in Endurance Training Rats

Several microRNAs are involved in regulating muscle mass, which plays an essential role in hypertrophy and atrophy of skeletal muscle, The present study examined the expression of some genes as regulators of muscular atrophy following a period of inertia in rats.

Methods & Materials:

 For this purpose, 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups (Control, Exercise+inactivity, and Inactivity). The exercise+inactivity group run on the treadmill for 18 weeks and five times per week. The hindlimb of the animal was immobilized for seven days with the casting method. Soleus muscle was extracted and the expression of the genes was measured by the RT-PCR method. Univariate ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test was used to determine the differences (α=0.05). 

Ethical Considerations:

 The Ethics Committee of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences Research approved this study (Code: IR.SUMS.REC.1396.S 463).

 Results showed that immobilization in both Exercise+ inactivity and inactivity groups, compare to the control group, increased expression of miR-1 genes (P<0.10), FOXO3a (P<0.001) and decreased expression of miR-206 (P<0.007) and IGF-1 (P<0.001). This difference was statistically significant.

 According to the results of this study, it can be said that changes in the expression of RNAs by chromatography cause changes in the expression of muscle regulating genes, and although endurance exercises have protective effects, they cannot prevent these changes.