Conclusions
This study shows the relevance and clinical significance of utilizing heat therapy as a viable treatment to attenuate muscle atrophy in diabetic patients.
Methods
Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into short-term (3 weeks) and long-term (6 weeks) experiments. In each experiment rats were divided into control, heat therapy, diabetic and diabetic + heat therapy groups. Rats in heat therapy groups were exposed to heat therapy for 30 min daily for three or six weeks in a temperature-controlled (42°C) chamber.
Results
The attenuation of neuromuscular functions assessed by Rotarod, Kondziella's inverted screen, and extensor postural thrust tests showed that diabetic rats exposed to heat therapy performed significantly better than diabetic controls. Muscle cross sectional area data established that heat therapy reduced muscle atrophy by 34.3% within 3 weeks and 44.1% within 6 weeks in the diabetic groups. Further, heat therapy significantly decreased muscle atrophy markers (CD68, KLF, and MAFbx) and significantly elevated muscle hypertrophy markers (AKT, mTOR, and HSP70). Conclusions: This study shows the relevance and clinical significance of utilizing heat therapy as a viable treatment to attenuate muscle atrophy in diabetic patients.