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Objective: Oxidative stress can cause DNA damage and apoptosis, and leads to cardiovascular disease. This study aims to evaluate the effect of aerobic exercise combined with consumption of hydroalcoholic extract of tribulus terrestris on mitochondrial oxidative stress markers in heart tissue of rats poisoned with hydrogen peroxide. Methods: This is an experimental study conducted on 42 male Wistar rats divided randomly into seven groups of Control (poisoned without supplementation), Aerobic Exercise, Aerobic Exercise + Supplementation with 5mg/kg extract, Aerobic Exercise + Supplementation with 10 mg/kg extract, Supplementation with 5mg/kg extract, Supplementation with 10mg/kg extract, and healthy control. All groups received hydrogen peroxide (100 mg/kg body weight) for 14 days intraperitoneally. The rats in supplementation groups received hydroalcoholic extract of tribulus terrestris with doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg of body weight by gavage. Aerobic exercise was performed on a treadmill at a speed of 23 m/min for 8 weeks, 5 days per week, each for 30 min. Twenty-four hours after the last exercise session, the heart tissues of rats were collected. Data were analyzed by independent t-test, two-way ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc test considering a significance level of P

Background & objectives: Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the main risk factors for neurological diseases which are associated with aging. On the other hand, aerobic exercise has beneficial effects on the brain health and cognitive function, and also improves mitochondrial dynamics. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of 4 weeks of aerobic exercise on spatial learning, memory performance and mitochondrial dynamics in the hippocampal tissue of old rats. Methods: For this purpose, 14 male Wistar rats at 20 months of age were randomly divided into 2 groups: aerobic exercise (n=7) and control group (n=7). The exercise group performed 4 weeks of treadmill training (5 days per week at a speed of 10 to 15 m/min). Forty-eight hours after the last training session, the animals underwent behavioral tests. Twenty-four hours after the behavioral test, all rats were killed and hippocampal tissue was extracted. The mRNA expression of OPA1, Mfn2 and Drp1 genes were assayed using Real Time-PCR. The Independent t test was used for statistical analysis. Conclusion: Aerobic exercise in old animals improved spatial learning and memory performance, increased hippocampal OPA1 gene expression, and decreased Drp1 gene expression compared to the control group (p≤0.01). Conclusion: It seems that aerobic exercise can improve the function of brain mitochondria by modulating fusion and fission processes and it can be considered as an effective non-pharmacological method to deal with aging-related learning and memory perturbations.

Background and Aim: Tendon, like the skeletal muscle, exhibits mechanical and morphological adaptations resulted from exercise training; however, little is known about the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate these responses. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the effect of 6 weeks of aerobic training on the TGF-β1, myostatin and MMP9 mRNAs expression in the tendon of fast- and slow-twitch muscles. Methods & Materials For this purpose, 12 male Wistar rats at 8 weeks of age were randomly divided into two groups: experimental (n=6) and control (n=6). The exercise group performed aerobic training for 6 weeks, 5 sessions per week. Forty-eight hours after the last training session, all rats were sacrificed and the tendons of soleus and Extensor Digitorum Longus (EDL) muscles were extracted. Expression of TGF-β1, myostatin and MMP9 mRNAs were assayed using RealTime-PCR. Independent t-test was also used for statistical analysis. Ethical Considerations: All stages of the study were conducted according to the ethical guidelines and authorization of Research Deputy of Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch No. IR.IAU.PS.REC.1398.296. Results: The results showed that the expression of TGF-β1 mRNA in EDL and soleus tendons significantly increased (P≤0.001), whereas the expression of myostatin in EDL tendon was significantly reduced (P≤ 0.001). Increased mRNA expression of MMP9 in the tendon of EDL and soleus muscles was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: It seems that aerobic exercise can modulate the expression of genes involved in the regulation of tendon collagen in a muscle type-dependent manner.

Introduction The beneficial effects of exercise and ginger extract have been reported to improve obesity-related indicators. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of six months’ resistance training and ginger extract on lipid profiles, body composition, and selected liver enzymes in obese menopausal women. Materials and Methods In a semi-experimental trial, 48 obese menopause women (Body mass index 32-34kg/m2) were randomly and divided into 4 groups including control, ginger extract, resistance training, and resistance training -ginger extract. The resistance training was performed 3 sessions in a week with an intensity of 80 to 85% 1RM for 24 weeks. The subjects consumed ginger extract three times a day in 500 mg capsules for 6 months, 24 hours, 3 months, and 6 months after the intervention in the 12-hour fasting condition, subjects from each group received blood samples and anthropometric characteristics. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA with repeated measures and Tukey post hoc test (p

Introduction: Inflammation, oxidative stress (OS), and obesity are documented to play key roles in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Accordingly, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), as a main innate immunity pro-inflammatory cytokine and a main free radical, respectively, are the main risk factors for CVDs. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of OS, regular aerobic exercise (RAE), and vitamin D3 (VD3) on the expression of TNF-α in the myocardial cells in a rat model. Methods: In this experimental study, 48 male Wistar rats were divided into 8 groups (6 in each group) including healthy controls, sham (injected with dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO] + saline), H2 O2 (either 1 or 2 mmol/kg), H2 O2 (1 mmol/kg) + VD3, H2 O2 (2 mmol/kg) + VD3, H2O2 (1 mmol/kg) + RAE, and H2 O2 (2 mmol/kg) + RAE. TNF-α level of myocardial cells was evaluated after 8 weeks using the ELISA technique. Results: The results of the study demonstrated that exposure to 2 mmol/kg of H2 O2 significantly increased TNF-α level of myocardial cells compared to the rats which were exposed to one mmol/ kg H2 O2 (P=0.039). Furthermore, RAE (P=0.040), and the combination of RAE+VD3 (P=0.049) significantly reduced the expression of myocardial TNF-α. Conclusion: In general, VD3 and RAE were found to suppress TNF-α expression induced by H2 O2 in the rat myocardium. Therefore, they can be considered as potential therapeutic interventions for reducing OS-induced inflammation in the damaged myocardial cells.

Background and Objectives: Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for heart disease and has a major contribution in mortality due to cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, the effect of 12-week resistance training was investigated on cardiac hypertrophy, glucose, level, insulin, and insulin resistance index in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Methods: A total of 16 male Wistar rats (mean weight, 200±20g) were randomly divided into two groups of diabetic control and (N= 8), diabetic resistance (N= 8). The diabetic resistance training group performed a 12-week resistance training, and 48 hours after the end of the last training session, the rats were anesthetized and euthanized. The variables of interest (body weight, heart weight, left ventricular weight, percentage of heart weight to body weight, percentage of left ventricular weight to heart weight, resting heart rate, level of glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance index), were measured. Data analysis was performed using independent samples t-test at significance level of p≤0.05. Results: There was a significant difference among mean heart weight (p=0.050), left ventricular weight (p=0.002), level of glucose (p=0/000), insulin (p=0.000), and resting heart rate (p=0.021) in the resistance diabetic group compared to the control diabetic group. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, it seems that resistance training is an important strategy to improve the structure and function of the heart in diabetics and it can be considered as an effective intervention method.

Background: Studies have shown that exercise stimulates cardiac proteins, and regular moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can have a significant effect on cardiac proteins. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of 8 weeks of aerobic training on expression of mRNA N-cadherin and β-catenin genes in left ventricle of cardiac muscle in male Wistar rats. Methods: 24 male Wistar rats (8 weeks old) with an average weight of 237 ± 33 g randomly divided to three equal groups of control, 8-weeks control, and aerobic training. Aerobic training group participated in an aerobic training for 8 weeks (5 sessions of 20-60 minutes each week, with an intensity of 65% of maximum oxygen consumption) running on animal treadmill (0% incline and 24 m/s), and there was no change in the normal activity cycle of the control group. 24 hours after the last training session, the heart tissue of rat was extracted, and the expression of mRNA β-catenin and N-cadherin genes was evaluated using real-time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey methods. Findings: Expression of mRNA β-catenin and N-cadherin gene proteins (P = 0.001) and maximal oxygen uptake (P = 0.001) increased significantly in aerobic exercise group. Conclusion: It seems that significant changes in expression of mRNA β-catenin and N-cadherin gene, as well as an increase in VO2max may make a positive impact on optimal heart activity.