ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the effects of percutaneous impulsive current stimulation in hepatic region on the activity of hepatic mitochondrial Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase in exercise-induced fatigued rats, in order to investigate the effect of exercise-induced fatigue. Methods Seventy-two 8-week old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (18 each): control group (group A), fatigue group (group B), stimulation before fatigue group (group C) and stimulation after fatigue group (group D). Exhaustion of animals in B, C and D groups were reproduced by prolonged swimming. Current stimulation (1024Hz, 10mA, current cycle 1sec) for 20 minutes was given to the rats of group C before swimming, and to those in group D after exhaustion. At the weekend of 1st, 3rd and 5th week after modeling, the rats were sacrificed in batches from each group (6 each). The activities of hepatic mitochondrial Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase were determined by spectrophotometry, and Bradfood protein quantification was employed to quantitate the protein in rats' hepatic mitochondria. Results No significant difference was found in swimming-exhaustion time among 3 groups at the first weekend (P>0.05), while the swimming-exhaustion time was significantly prolonged at the 3rd and 5th weekends in group D than in group B and C (P+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase among the 4 groups (including group A) at the weekend of the 1st week (P>0.05), while the enzyme activities were obviously lower at the 3rd and 5th weekend in group B than that in groups A, C and D (P+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase. Percutaneous pulsive current stimulating hepatic region of exercise-induced fatigued rats may improve the enzyme activity, reduce the concentration of free calcium and calcium overload in mitochondria, stimulate the oxidative phosphorylation, accelerate the rate of respiratory chain, promote exercise endurance and score, and relieve exercise-induced fatigue rapidly.