Hassan Hamdam; Homa Sheikhani Shahin; Seyyed Ali Hosseini
Abstract
Objective: Given the high prevalence of prostate cancer and the role of inflammatory factors and hypoxia in its development, this study aimed to investigate the interactive effects ...
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Objective: Given the high prevalence of prostate cancer and the role of inflammatory factors and hypoxia in its development, this study aimed to investigate the interactive effects of aerobic exercise and curcumin supplementation on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) in prostate tissue in rats with prostate cancer.Methodology: In this study, 42 Wistar rats (8-10 months old, 300-340 g) were studied, and prostate cancer was induced in 35 rats. After confirmation of the disease, the rats were divided into four groups: control-patient, curcumin supplement-patient, aerobic exercise-patient, and aerobic exercise + curcumin supplement-patient; and 7 healthy rats were considered as the healthy control group. The exercise groups performed aerobic exercise for eight weeks, and then prostate tissue was extracted and analyzed for pathological examination.Results: The relative expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the control-patient group was significantly increased compared to the control-healthy group (P = 0.002) and significantly decreased in the exercise + curcumin supplement group compared to the control-patient group (P = 0.001). Also, the relative expression of HIF-1 in the control-patient group was significantly increased compared to the control-healthy and sham groups (P < 0.01); while a significant decrease was observed in the curcumin supplement group and the combined exercise + curcumin supplement group (P = 0.025 and P = 0.004, respectively).Conclusion: The simultaneous combination of aerobic exercise and curcumin supplementation significantly inhibited prostate cancer tumor growth in mice, demonstrating stronger preventive effects than using either intervention alone.
