Protein and structural analysis of diaphragmatic musculature and liver of post-immobilization rats with aquatic therapy

Abstract

Immobilization is a common practice in the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries, but this may in turn cause several damages to the initially compromised structure. Among the resources used to reverse the damage from immobilization, the main one was the aquatic therapy, combined with the beneficial effects of immersion in water, helps with the physiological adjustments of the body. The objective of the present study was to analyze the protein and structural content of the diaphragmatic and hepatic muscles of post-immobilization rats with aquatic therapy. The project was approved by the Committee of Ethics for the Use of Animals of the State University of Ceará, under the protocol nº 1122178 of 05/10/2017. Thirty-two female Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Control (CTR), Immobilized (I), Aquatic Therapy (TA) and Immobilized with Aquatic Therapy (ITA). Immobilization occurred in the right hind limb, including the pelvis, hip, femur, knee (extension), tibia, and ankle (plantar flexion) for two weeks. Aquatic therapy occurred for six days a week over two weeks. After this period the animals were euthanized and the structures of interest were dissected: diaphragm and liver. For muscular and hepatic evaluation, protein quantity was evaluated. Muscle trophism was calculated by the ratio of wet diaphragmatic muscle weight (mg) to the final body weight (g) of the animals. The data were analyzed by Anova-one-Way, with p<0.05 and test of Brown-Forsythe and Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson correlation. Results were expressed as the average ± the standard error of measurement. It was found that the process of not using associated with aquatic therapy treatment for two weeks was not able to significantly alter the protein and structural content of the diaphragmatic muscles and liver reserves.