Dietary Supplementation with the Microalga Galdieria sulphuraria (Rhodophyta) Reduces Prolonged Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress in Rat Tissues

Figure 1

Schematic protocol of rat treatments; 110-day-old animals were randomly assigned to one of two dietary regimens of ten days, receiving either the control diet or a G. sulphuraria supplemented diet, consisting of commercial rat chow to which the algae were added to a final concentration of 10 g/Kg. One half of the animals on both the control and supplemented diets were subjected to a 6 h swimming exercise before the sacrifice. The animals swam in a plastic container that was 100 cm high, filled to a depth of 45 cm with water maintained at a temperature between 35 and 36°C. A weight equivalent to the 2% of their body weight was tied to the tail of each rat. Sedentary animals were sacrificed at rest having been kept for 6 h in a small chamber holding about 3 cm of water at 35°C. S: sedentary untreated rats; SG: sedentary G. sulphuraria treated rats; E: exercised untreated rats; EG: exercised G. sulphuraria treated rats.