Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Assessing Functional Performance in the Mdx Mouse Model
Published on: March 27, 2014
Effect of creatine supplementation on skeletal muscle of mdx mice
Magali Louis1, Jean Marc Raymackers, Huguette Debaix
1Institut d'Education Physique et de Réadaptation, Faculté de Médecine, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1 Place Pierre de Coubertin, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Abstract:
Dystrophic mice (mdx) and their controls (C57/Bl10) were fed for 1 month with a diet with or without creatine (Cr) enrichment. Cr supplementation reduced mass (by 19%, P < 0.01) and mean fiber surface (by 25%, P < 0.05) of fast-twitch mdx muscles. In both strains, tetanic tension increased slightly (9.2%) without reaching statistical significance (P = 0.08), and relaxation time increased by 16% (P < 0.001). However, Cr had no protective effect on the other hallmarks of dystrophy such as susceptibility to eccentric contractions; large numbers of centrally nucleated fibers in tibialis anterior; and elevated total calcium content, which increased by 85% (P = 0.008) in gastrocnemius mdx muscles. In conclusion, Cr may be a positive intervention for improving function of dystrophic muscle.
