BACKGROUND:It has been shown to exhibit the increase of free radical has relationship with exercise-induced skeletal muscle injury.As a kind of antioxidant,vitamin E has the ability of removing radicals,which can relieve antioxidase damage,and delay fatigue,eventually,improve the motor ability.OBJECTIVE:From the angle of free radical metabolism,to explore the effect of vitamin E on malondialdehyde(MDA)and superoxide dismutase(SOD)of mitochondria in skeletal muscular cell after eccentric exercise,additionally,to clarify the mechanism of vitamin E on reducing the skeletal muscle damage.DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:The randomized grouping experiment of animal was carried out in the Key Laboratory of General Administration of Sport of China in Shenyang Sport University and the Key Laboratory of China Medical University from May to October in 2007.MATERIALS:A total of 48 male,Sprague Dawley rats,weighing(304?12)g were randomly divided into the of control,sport,physiological saline,and vitamin E groups,with 12 animals in each group.METHODS:Rats in the vitamin E group was administered(i.p.)1-1.2 mg/kg vitamin E capsules once per eight hours,four times one day before experiment,and the amount of injecting volume was 4 mL/kg.The rats in physiological saline were injected by physiological saline,with the same injection methods of the vitamin E group.The models of injury were established by a bout of exhaustive eccentric exercise on a treadmill.After exercise,triceps brachiies were moved from the right side of rats.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:The content of MDA and activity of SOD were measured with the reagent-boxes and 6010 UV-seen spectrophotometer.RESULTS:The values of MDA,SOD of mitochondria in triceps brachiies cells in each group were greatly increased after 24 hour eccentric exercise(P 0.05),the value of MDA in the vitamin E group was greatly decreased(P