Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under (CC BY-NC) license
Authors
1 PhD Student in Exercise Physiology, Aras International Campus, University of Tehran, Tabriz, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3 University of Tehran
4 Associate Professor, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Oxidative stress is a important factor in exacerbating epilepsy, neuronal hyperexcitability, and increased seizure frequency. This study aimed to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on hippocampal miR-23a expression, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and catalase (CAT) enzyme activity, and seizure frequency in rats with epilepsy.
Methods: In this study, thirty-two male Wistar rats (4–6 weeks old) were randomly assigned to four groups: healthy, sham, epileptic, and epileptic + aerobic training. Epilepsy was induced by intra-hippocampal injection of kainic acid, and seizure severity was evaluated using the Racine scale. The training protocol consisted of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise performed for eight weeks, five sessions per week, with each session lasting 40 minutes. Catalase (CAT) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the hippocampus were measured using the ELISA method, while real-time PCR was employed to assess miR-23a expression.
Results: Aerobic exercise reduced hippocampal MDA levels (P=0.007) and miR-23a expression (P=0.53) while increasing CAT enzyme activity (P=0.02) in epileptic rats. Seizure frequency was also significantly decreased in the epileptic rats (P=0.01).
Conclusion: Eight weeks of regular exercise can lead to a reduction in lipid peroxidation and an increase in the antioxidant enzyme CAT in the hippocampus. This improvement in antioxidant status was associated with a decrease in the number of seizures.
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