ABSTRACT

Objective: To see the Effects of Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) supplementation on slow skeletal muscle mass and contractile functions in type 2 diabetic male Sprague Dawley rats.
Study Design: Quasi-experimental study.
Place and Duration of the Study: The study was carried out at the Physiology Research Lab, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan from June 2019 to April 2021 in collaboration with the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad, Pakistan.
Methods: Sixty adult SD rats were divided into three equal groups. Rats were fed on a standard diet as per NIH protocols. After 2 weeks type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was induced in groups 2 and 3 by injecting low dose 35mg of streptozotocin (STZ) in the abdomen intraperitoneally. T2DM was successfully developed and confirmed by measuring glucose levels through a glucometer. Group 3 was injected with Alpha Lipoic acid 30mg/kg/day at the lower abdomen for the next two weeks. After 04 weeks, soleus muscles were dissected. The animal data acquisition unit (iWorx) was used for assessing the contractile functions of soleus.
Results Alpha Lipoic acid group showed improvement in muscle mass, muscle tension strength, and recovery from fatigue after applying fatigue protocol as compared to group 2.
Conclusion: Alpha Lipoic acid supplementation improves contractile force and delays fatigue in the soleus muscles of diabetic rats.

Keywords: Alpha Lipoic Acid, Blood Glucose, Diabetes Mellitus, Sprague Dawley Rats, Streptozotocin.

How to cite this: Khan BU, Yousef I, Arshad S, Ikram F, Ali A, Ullah I. Effects of Alpha Lipoic Acid Supplementation on Slow Skeletal Muscle Mass and Contractile Functions in Type 2 Diabetic Male Sprague Dawley Rats. Life and Science. 2024; 5(2): 216-221. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.408