The effect of endurance training and supplementation with L-arginine on the activity of glutathione peroxidase enzyme and total antioxidant capacity of skeletal muscle of male wistar rats

Engaging in exercise increases mitochondrial oxygen consumption, leading to a higher production of free radicals. Given L-arginine's role in boosting the immune response and mitigating the impact of free radicals, this study examined the influence of eight weeks of endurance training along with L-arginine supplementation on GPX and TAC levels in the gastrocnemius muscle of male Wistar rats. The study involved 32 male Wistar rats, aged eight weeks, randomly assigned to four groups: control, exercise training, L-arginine, and exercise training + L-arginine.The training regimen entailed 8weeks of endurance training on a treadmill. The supplement and training+supplement groups were given four grams of L-arginine in 100ml of water. All rats were dissected 48hours after the final training session and after eight hours of fasting. The quadriceps muscle was isolated from the samples, and the GPX and TAC enzyme activities in the skeletal muscle were measured using the spectrophotometric method. Data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance test with a significance level set at p<0.05.The study results indicated that the GPX levels in the skeletal muscle of the exercise training+supplement group were significantly higher than those in the training group(p=0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the TAC levels in the skeletal muscle across the study groups (p=0.836). Given the positive impact of L-arginine supplementation alongside intense endurance training on increasing GPX enzyme levels, it's likely that L-arginine supplementation could help prevent the decline of GPX enzyme levels and associated complications during intensive endurance training.