A few summers ago, I took on an internship at the University
of Nebraska Medical Center and was able to gain valuable research experience.
As a lab, we were researching factors that could be considered predictors for
dysfunction of claudicating limbs (claudicating can be defined as problems
walking or pain in the limbs that is relieved by rest). Prior research has
indicated that reduced blood flow is the main cause of dysfunction in the limbs
of claudicating patients, but my lab hypothesized that other factors, including
mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage, and inflammation in the
claudicating muscle, might also be predictors of dysfunction. There were three
experimental groups of participants: claudicating patients, patients who
underwent revascularization, and patients who did a 12-week exercise therapy
program. Gastrocnemius tissue samples were collected via needle biopsy and then
analyzed using a spectrophotometer.
My specific
job was spinning down the muscle tissue samples to collect the supernate, which
was then used for running a complex I assay. Complex 1 is the first step in the
electron transport chain; NADH was added to the muscle sample to begin the
assay. This assay was the overall measure of how much complex I activity is
produced per gram of muscle.
Overall,
the aim of this ongoing research study is to better understand the factors that
cause dysfunction in claudicating limbs, specifically associated with
Peripheral Arterial Disease, or PAD. A growing proportion of elderly people are
facing physical limitations associated with claudication. However, by better
understanding the mechanisms that play into the claudication of limbs we can
create new therapeutic, surgical, and pharmacological treatments.
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