Mitochondria of trained skeletal muscle are protected from deleterious effects of statins

: Statins are associated with adverse skeletal muscle effects. Our objective was to determine if muscular adaptations following exercise training prevented deleterious effects of atorvastatin in glycolytic skeletal muscle. Methods : Twenty rats were divided into 2 groups: a control group ( n = 10; Cont) and a 10 days of training group ( n = 10; Training). Using the permeabilized fibers technique, we explored mitochondrial function. Results : Exercise training increased V max and H 2 O 2 production without altering the free radical leak, and mRNA expression of SOD2 and Cox1 were higher in trained muscle. In the Cont group, atorvastatin exposure increased H 2 O 2 production and decreased skeletal muscle V max . The decreased V max effect of atorvastatin was dose dependent. Interestingly, the half‐maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) was higher in the Training group. H 2 O 2 production increased in trained muscle after atorvastatin exposure. Conclusions : These results suggest that improvements in mitochondrial respiratory and antioxidant capacities following endurance training protected mitochondria against statin exposure. Muscle Nerve 46: 367–373, 2012