Effect of age and physical activity on oxidative stress parameters in experimental rat model

  • Santosh Anand Department of Biotechnology, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
  • Vani Rajashekharaiah Department of Biotechnology, Bangalore University, 1Department of Biotechnology, Jain University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
  • Ravikiran Tekupalli Department of Biotechnology, Bangalore University, Bengaluru ‑ 560 056, Karnataka, India.
Keywords: Aging, protein carbonyls, protein thiols, superoxide radical, swimming training

Abstract

Background and Aim: Studies have suggested that regular physical exercise has beneficial effects on the brain by modulating the oxidative stress. There is little information regarding whether swimming exercise could attenuate oxidative stress in the brain. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the effect of physical activity on the oxidative stress parameters in the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus of the aging rat brain. Methods: Male Wistar albino rats of 4-, 12- and 22-months old age were swim-trained in a rectangular glass tank for 30 min/ day, 6 days/week with 3% of load for 4 weeks. We examined the levels of protein carbonyls, superoxide radicals and thiols to assess the oxidative stress with exercise in the aging rat brain. Results: Age-related increase in the protein carbonyls and superoxides with decreased thiols were observed. Hippocampus exhibited higher levels of oxidative stress compared to the cerebral cortex. Training significantly attenuated the oxidative stress as carbonyls and superoxides reduced and thiols were enhanced. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggests that physical exercise reduces the oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus and may provide a therapeutic intervention in attenuating age-related oxidative stress in the brain.

Published
2015-06-30
How to Cite
Anand, S., Rajashekharaiah, V., & Tekupalli, R. (2015). Effect of age and physical activity on oxidative stress parameters in experimental rat model. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Physiology, 2(3), 185-190. Retrieved from https://ijcep.org/index.php/ijcep/article/view/98