Project 455655

In Canada, 8% of births are premature (less than 37 weeks of pregnancy). Thanks to medical advances over the past 30 years, most premature babies now survive, and the first generations of very premature babies (28 to 32 weeks of pregnancy) are now young adults. Recent studies have shown a link between premature birth and reduced exercise capacity in children, adolescents or young adults born prematurely. However, it is not yet clear why this association exists. In order to better understand the link between premature birth and muscle function, we use an animal model that mimics the prematurity conditions with the exposure of newborn rats to high concentrations of oxygen. With this model, our team has already demonstrated a change in the structure and function of skeletal muscles, and this may be associated with the decrease in exercise capacity observed in humans. Considering that oxygen levels during the maturation phase of development (24 - 32 weeks gestation for humans; first 10 days of rat life) are critical for the establishment of fiber typing and development of muscle bioenergetic capacity, and could be disturbed by premature birth, this post-doctoral project proposes to study the energetics capacity of skeletal muscle in the animal model of prematurity and the role of physical exercise in recovering muscle function and bioenergetics of myofibers. In view of the increasing number of adults born prematurely, it is important to understand the causes of their diminished exercise capacity and to identify possible solutions to prevent an impact on the health of these individuals, such as physical exercise. Therefore, actions to promote health are essential so that people born prematurely know their long-term risks and are encouraged to have healthier habits of life.