INTRODUCTION:
The use of pharmacologic and nutritional ergogenic supplements is growing every day in sports environment. Creatine and anabolic steroids are the most popular ergogenic resources used lately.
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the histological and morphometric changes of the soleus muscle of rats receiving supplements and submitted to physical training (swimming).
METHODS:
50 rats were allocated into five groups: three did not undergo physical activity (controls) and two that received swimming training (trained). A control group received only rat chow (control chow group), two groups (one control and one trained) received 3.3mg of creatine per gram of diet dissolved in water daily applied orally via gavage, and the other two groups (control and other trained) received intramuscular injections of the anabolic steroid nandrolone decanoate (Deca-durabolin(r) - Organon) 5mg/kg twice weekly. The trained groups were submitted to the physical training 60min/day lasting from Monday to Friday for 9 weeks and were sacrificed at the end of the period. After sacrifice, the soleus muscle was removed, fixed in buffered formalin (10%) and embedded in paraffin. The histological sections were stained by hematoxylin-eosin for evaluation of muscle hyperplasia and hypertrophy. For data analysis we applied the One-Way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey-Kramer significance level of 5%.
RESULTS:
It was shown that creatine during exercise probably increase the interstitial space in skeletal muscle without changing the size or number of muscle fibers, whereas the anabolic agent increased the number of muscle fibers per muscle area examined, though no changes have been observed in the area of the fiber.
CONCLUSION:
The muscle of rats submitted to swimming training responds differently opposite type of ergogenic aid used.
swimming; anabolic agents; creatine; Wistar rats
