Effects of cutaneous receptor stimulation on muscular atrophy developed in hindlimb unloading condition

The aim of this study was to investigate whether stimulation of the cutaneous mechanoreceptors of the rat foot sole could partially or totally prevent the soleus muscle atrophy developed after 14 days in hindlimb unloading conditions. Final experiments were achieved under deep anesthesia using pentobarbital sodium (60 mg/kg, ip injection). Atrophy was characterized by a significant decrease in muscle wet weight, fiber size, maximal twitch and tetanic tensions, contraction kinetics, and histochemical and electrophoretical changes. Our data demonstrate that the stimulation of these mechanoreceptors partially prevents the decrease in muscle weight (53%) and cross-sectional area of the soleus muscle (36%) and in all fiber types (type I: 31%; type Ic: 40%; type IIc: 49%; and type IIa: 44%) and also prevented the reductions in strength (peak twitch tension: 31%; peak tetanic tension: 25%). However, the decrease in contraction kinetics was not counteracted. Moreover, histochemical and electrophoretical changes were partially slowed. Thus our results suggest that stimulation of the sole mechanoreceptors can be used, in part, as a countermeasure to the muscular atrophy observed after a period of hindlimb unloading.