Investigation of the effects of apilarnil on muscle damage and exercise performance in rats undergoing experimental exercise

This study investigated the effects of apilarnil, administered as a dietary supplement, on muscle damage, oxidative stress, hematological parameters, and exercise performance in rats subjected to exhaustive swimming exercise. A total of 35 Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned to five groups (n=7 per group): sham, control, exercise, exercise + apilarnil1 (0.2 g/kg), and exercise + apilarnil2 (0.4 g/kg). At the end of the study, levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), as a marker of oxidative stress, were measured in skeletal and cardiac muscle tissues. Activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and glutathione (GSH) levels were also determined. Additionally, levels of inflammatory markers such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured. Serum levels of muscle damage markers, including creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), were assessed. Hematological parameters including total leukocytes (WBC), lymphocytes (LYM), granulocytes (GRA), monocytes (MID), erythrocytes (RBC), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), platelets (PLT), and platelet distribution width (PDW) were analyzed. To evaluate exercise performance, the rats were made to swim in a Morris water tank until exhaustion, and their swimming durations were recorded. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences in serum levels of CK, CK-MB, LDH, AST, and ALT among the groups. Significant differences were also found in skeletal and cardiac muscle tissues regarding MDA and GSH levels, as well as SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px activities, and TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels. Additionally, significant differences were observed in the blood levels of WBC, LYM, MID, GRA, RBC, HGB, HCT, PLT, and PDW, while no significant differences were found in MCH and MCHC levels. When evaluated in terms of exercise performance, swimming times in the exercise+apilarnil1 (0.2 g/kg) group were significantly higher than the other groups. The level of significance was set at p<0.05. Considering these findings, it can be concluded that apilarnil exhibits protective effects against muscle damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation induced by exhaustive exercise. Furthermore, it plays a balancing role in regulating hematological parameters and enhances exercise performance in a dose-dependent manner.