Abstract
The purpose of this study, was to investigate the effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on myogenic regulatory factor expression in skeletal muscle of rats receiving the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the control (CON), doxorubicin (DOX), or creatine+doxorubicin (CR+DOX) groups. CR+DOX received rodent chow supplemented with 3% creatine monohydrate and the CON and DOX received standard rodent chow. After two weeks of feeding, CR+DOX and DOX groups received a bolus, 15 mg/kg intraperitoneal (i.p.) DOX injection and CON received an i.p. saline injection as a placebo. Dietary interventions then continued for five more days. The soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) were excised five days post injection and expression of myogenic regulatory factors MyoD, Myf5, Mrf4, and myogenin was determined using Western blotting. In DOX solei, MyoD, Myf5, Mrf4, and myogenin expression was observed to have both increased and decreased when compared to the control in both the soleus and EDL. In the soleus, an increasing trend is seen in MyoD and Mrf4 expression while a decrease in Myf5 and myogenin expression was noticed with DOX treatment. The trend of CR+DOX, within the soleus, increased Myf5 expression when compared to both CON and DOX.
In the figure above: a: structure of Doxorubicin b: Doxorubicin inserting itself between Guanine and Cytosine in the cells DNA. This prevents it from replicating and creating tumors.
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In the figure above: the structure of Creatine Monohydrate is displayed. The transformations display creatine as it changes inside the body to improve muscular function.
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Animal Husbandry
- The rats were held in a clear cage with food and water available to them
- The food was weighed to track how much is eaten by the rat
- Their bedding is changed often