Use of Creatine Monohydrate in MDX Mice: Morphometric and Stereological Analysis of the Diaphragm

Abstract

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease that is clinically manifested by progressive muscle atrophy, followed by loss of strength, motor coordination and functional impairment. In the final stages of the disease, the patient has severe difficulty in breathing mechanics, due to the involvement of the muscles involved with the mechanics of breathing, including the diaphragm. The present study sought to identify the effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation in MDX mice on the morphology, morphometry and stereology of the striated muscle tissue of the diaphragm of these animals. The results indicate that, despite not influencing the increase in cell volume, supplementation acts in an anti-inflammatory way, reducing the progressive process of fibrosis that occurs in these animals in the face of muscle atrophy followed by the replacement of muscle parenchyma by connective tissue. in this way, supplementation provides a better condition for tissue maintenance, enabling more survival of MDX mice. Monohydrate creatine supplementation has been shown to be a complementary therapeutic alternative, especially for muscular dystrophies and severe myopathies.

Keywords

• duchenne muscular dystrophy
• creatine supplementation
• diaphragm
• respiratory muscle
• muscle diseases