Investigating the Effects of Four Weeks of Spinal Nerve Ligation After a Period of Combined Training on the Expression of Involved Genes in Calcium Current in Plantaris Muscle of Male Wistar Rats

Aims This study aims to investigate the effect of spinal nerve ligation (SNL) after a period of combined training on the expression of some genes that are involved in the calcium flow in the plantaris muscle of male Wistar rats.  Methods & Materials A total of 16 adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups, namely the control-SNL (n=8) and combined training-SNL (n=8). The animals in the training group participated in a training program for 6 weeks. After this period, the protocol of spinal SNL was performed on the research groups for 4 weeks. Finally, the rats were dissected and the plantaris muscle was removed. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the mRNA expression of STIM1, ORAI1, and MG29 genes.  Findings In the combined training-SNL group, an increase in the expression of STIM1 (P=0.01), ORAI1 (P=0.002), and MG29 (P=0.02) was observed when compared to the control-SNL group.  Conclusion The results of the present study showed that SNL reduces the expression of STIM1, ORAI1, and MG29 in the plantaris muscle. Meanwhile, combined training before SNL has a compensatory effect in this regard