(1.School of Physical Education,Luoyang Normal University,Luoyang 471022,China;2.Wenzhou Medical College,Wenzhou 325035,China;3.Beijing Sport University,Beijing 100084,China) Abstract: By injecting AICAR, an AMPK excitant, into SD rats to boost the activity of AMPK in the skeletal mus-cles of the rats, the authors probed into the effects of AMPK activity changes on the degradation of proteins in skeletal muscles. The authors measured the changes of the AMPK activity in gastrocnemius by using isotope tech-nology, and measured the changes of the level of expression of genes MuRF1 and MAFbx in gastrocnemius by us-ing real time fluorescence quantification PCR technology. Results: 1 h, 2 h and 7 h after AICAR was injected, the AMPK activity increased as compared with the control group, and the differences were significant or very signifi-cant (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and 7 h after AICAR was injected, the AMPK activity started to decrease; 1 h and 2 h after AICAR was injected, the levels of expression of MAFbx mRNA and MuRF1 mRNA increased respectively by 2.45 times, 2.23 times and 2.67 times, 2.30 times as compared with the control group, and the differences were very sig-nificant (P<0.01); 7 h after AICAR was injected, the level of expression of MuRF1 mRNA increased by 2.01 times, and the difference was significant (P<0.05), while the level of expression of MAFbx mRNA increased somewhat, but the difference was not significant; there was no significant difference in the 3-MH content between various groups. The results indicated the followings: 1) after AICAR was injected into the rats once, it can significantly in-crease the activity of AMPK in skeletal muscles, while the increase of the AMPK activity can boost the expression of MAFbx mRNA and MuRF1 mRNA and the degradation of proteins in skeletal muscles; 2) the authors conjec-tured that in terms of reflecting the degradation of proteins in skeletal muscles, MAFbx mRNA and MuRF1 mRNA are more sensitive than 3-MH. Key words: sports biochemistry;AMPK;MAFbx mRNA;MuRF1 mRNA;3-MH;protein degradation;rat |