Abstract
Oxidative stress has attracted attention as an indicator of exercise load. Minimizing the impact on the body is essential during underwater treadmill exercise. Here, we conducted an exploratory study of the effects of dermal suction, which has been reported to improve blood flow in healthy dogs, prior to underwater treadmill exercise. Five healthy beagles (two neutered males and three spayed females) underwent dermal suctioning with Medicell for PETS over the entire body for 30 min. Underwater treadmill exercise was performed (water temperature: 32-33°C, water level: hip joint, load: 1.5 km/hr for 20 min). Blood samples were collected immediately before; immediately after; and 1 hr, 1 day, and 3 days after the underwater treadmill exercise; the diacron-reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs), indicating the oxidation level, and biological antioxidant potential (BAP), indicating antioxidant capacity, were measured to determine the BAP/d-ROMs ratio as the potential antioxidant capacity. The results showed that dermal suction significantly decreased d-ROMs 3 days after underwater treadmill exercise, and the BAP/d-ROMs ratio was significantly higher immediately after exercise and 1 and 3 days after dermal suctioning. The parasympathetic nervous system is activated by dermal suctioning, resulting in muscle relaxation and mild psychological change. This study showed that dermal suction tended to decrease oxidative stress after exercise. Future studies should consider effects on the nervous system and exercise intensity indices and should be conducted in larger canine cohorts.