Mild aerobic training with blood flow restriction increases the hypertrophy index and MuSK in both slow and fast muscles of old rats: Role of PGC-1α

Abstract Aims Existing evidence emphasize the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in sarcopenia which is revealed as loss of skeletal muscle mass and neuromuscular junction remodeling. We assessed the effect of low-intensity aerobic training along with blood flow restriction on muscle hypertrophy index, muscle-specific kinase (MuSK), a pivotal protein of the neuromuscular junction and Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) in aged male rats. Main methods Animals groups were control (CTL), sham (Sh), leg blood flow restriction (BFR), exercise (Ex), sham + exercise (Sh + Ex), and BFR plus exercise (BFR + Ex) groups. The exercise groups were trained with low intensity exercise for 10 weeks. 48 h after the last training session, animals were sacrificed under anesthesia. Soleus and EDL muscles were isolated, hypertrophy index was estimated and MuSK and PGC-1α were measured by western blot method. Key findings Hypertrophy index enhanced in soleus and Extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of BFR + Ex group (P  Significance Findings suggest that low endurance exercise plus BFR improves the MuSK and hypertrophy index of both slow and fast muscles of elderly rats probably through the rise of PGC-1α expression.