Elemental analysis of biological tissues of animal models in muscular dystrophies investigation

Element concentrations in biological tissues of Dmd^mdx/J and C57BL/6 J mice strains were determined using the neutron activation analysis technique. Samples of whole blood, bones and organs (heart and muscle) of these strains were irradiated in the IEA–R1 nuclear reactor at IPEN-CNEN/SP (Brazil). To perform this investigation biological samples of two-month-old adult females (n = 10) and males (n = 9) for Dmd^mdx/J (dystrophic mice), and males (n = 12) for C57BL/6 J (control group), originally obtained from the Jackson Laboratory (Maine, USA) and further inbred at IPEN–CNEN/SP (São Paulo, Brazil), were used. A significant change was observed in the analysis of the heart of dystrophic mice suggesting that this dysfunction affects severely the heart muscle. These data may, in the future, contribute to the healthcare area, in veterinary medicine and in the pharmaceutical industry allowing the evaluation of the best procedures in diagnosis, treatment and investigations of neuromuscular diseases (muscular dystrophy) of patients through the use of animal models.