Association of physical performance and biochemical profile of mice with intrinsic endurance swimming
Abstract
We aimed to investigate the potential mediators and relationship affecting congenital exercise
performance in an animal model with physical activity challenge from physiological and biochemical
perspectives. A total of 75 male ICR mice (5 weeks old) were adapted for 1 week, then mice
performed a non-loading and exhaustive swimming test and were assigned to 3 groups by
exhaustive swimming time: low exercise capacity (LEC) (<3 hr), medium exercise capacity (MEC)
(3-5 hr), and high exercise capacity (HEC) (>5 hr). After a 1-week rest, the 3 groups of mice
performed an exhaustive swimming test with a 5% and 7.5% weight load and a forelimb
grip-strength test, with a 1-week rest between tests. Blood samples were collected immediately
after an acute exercise challenge and at the end of the experiment (resting status) to evaluate
biochemical blood variables and their relation with physical performance. Physical activity,
including exhaustive swimming and grip strength, was greater for HEC than other mice. The
swimming performance and grip strength between groups were moderately correlated (r=0.443,
p<0.05). Resting serum ammonium level was moderately correlated with endurance with a 7.5%
weight load (r=-0.447, p<0.05) and with lactate level (r=0.598, p<0.05). The pulmonary
morphology of the HEC group seemed to indicate benefits for aerobic exercise. Mice showed
congenital exercise performance, which was significantly correlated with different physical
challenges and biochemical variable values. This study may have implications for interference in
intrinsic characteristics