Effects of creatine supplementation on biomarkers of hepatic and renal function in young trained rats

Abstract

Creatine supplementation has been widely used by athletes and young physical exercise practioneers in order of increasing muscle mass and enhancing athletic performance, but their use/overuse may represent a health risk on hepatic and renal impaired function. In this study, we evaluated the effects of 40 days of oral creatine supplementation on hepatic and renal function biomarkers in a young animal model. Wistar rats (5 weeks old) were divided in five groups (n = 7): control (CONTR), oral creatine supplementation (CREAT), moderate exercise training (EXERC), moderate exercise training plus oral creatine supplementation (EXERC + CREAT) and pathological group (positive control for liver and kidney injury) by the administration of rifampicin (RIFAMPICIN). Exercise groups were submitted to 60 min/day of swimming exercise session with a 4% of body weight workload for six weeks. The EXERC + CREAT showed the higher body weight at the end of the training protocol. The CREAT and EXERC + CREAT group showed an increase in hepatic (Aspartate transaminase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase) and renal (urea and creatinine) biomarkers levels (p < 0.05). Our study showed that the oral creatine supplementation promoted hepatic and renal function challenge in young rats submitted to moderate exercise training.

Creatine consumption and liver disease manifestations in individuals aged 12 years and over

“…Souza et al ( 2009 ) found that rodents consuming higher doses of dietary creatine experienced a significant rise in liver enzymes panel, accompanied by structural alterations indicating hepatic damage. These findings were corroborated in another preclinical study where creatine provoked an increase in several hepatic biomarkers (Souza et al, 2013 ). In another study, ethanol intake combined with creatine exacerbated cell degeneration and fat accumulation, hepatic expression of genes related to ethanol metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammation, and promoted oxidative stress and elevated plasma alanine aminotransferase (Marinello et al, 2019 ).…”

Effects of dietary creatine supplementation on systemic microvascular density and reactivity in healthy young adults

“…In our study, a week of CrS significantly increased creatinine and CK plasma levels, and simultaneously reduced globulins and T3 plasma levels, mimicking a condition that characterizes impaired renal function [ 53 ]. Understanding that CrS may contribute to renal dysfunction misdiagnosis because moderate increases of creatinine levels are to be expected [ 54 , 55 ], evidence indicates that creatine supplementation would overload kidney function [ 1 , 56 ]. Although several studies ensure the safety of CrS [ 57 – 61 ], even in individuals at risk for kidney disease, daily doses of 20 g were associated with the formation of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines and to deleterious molecules such as methylamine and formaldehyde that promote cross-linkage between proteins and DNA damage-induced changes to renal structures [ 62 , 63 ].…”

Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Histopathological and Biochemical Parameters in the Kidney and Pancreas of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

“…To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study that evaluated morphological aspects, both histopathological and histomorphometric, of pancreatic and renal tissues and the redox state in diabetic rats induced by STZ, supplemented or not with creatine. The literature shows several studies describing the presence of clinical and biochemical parameters [ 23 , 27 , 37 , 38 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. However, creatine supplementation studies in DM without evaluating morphological parameters and tissue injury are quite recurrent.…”