An Evaluation of an Animal Model of Cerebral Palsy: The Effects on the Morphology of the Extensor Digitorum Longus Muscle

Abstract

Cerebral Palsy (CP) refers to chronic childhood encephalopathy. The objective of this study was to verify effects of CP model that combines prenatal exposure to LPS, perinatal anoxia and sensorimotor restriction on EDL muscle. Male Wistar rat pups were separated: a) Control-pups of mothers injected with saline during pregnancy and b) Cerebral Palsy-pups of mothers injected with LPS during pregnancy, and submitted to perinatal anoxia and sensorimotor restriction. The CP group presented hypertrophy in the type IIB fibers and increase of nuclei/fiber and capillary/fiber ratios. The intrafusal fibers of CP group presented 26 % atrophy in the crosssectional area and intramuscular collagen volume increase 34 %. CP group showed myofibrillar disruption and Z-line disorganization and the NMJs presented increases of 22 % in area.This animal model of CP produces motor deficits and macro and microscopic alterations and in the ultrastructure of the EDL muscle.

Maternal exposure to glyphosate‐based herbicide promotes changes in the muscle structure of C57BL/6 mice offspring

“…For morphometric analysis, the area and major and minor diameters of 80 NMJs per animal were determined on microscopic images (×20 objective) by a statistician as also performed in other studies (Buratti et al, 2019; Covatti et al, 2018; Estrada‐Bonilla et al, 2020; Jeronimo et al, 2018; Kuhn et al, 2021).…”