The effect of eight weeks of endurance training and MitoQ supplementation on antioxidant capacity and the expression of sestrin-2 and AMPK in cardiac tissue of aged rats.

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of endurance training (ET) in combination with MitoQ supplementation on antioxidant indices and the expression of sesterin-2 (SESN2) as an anti-aging factor and AMPK as an energy sensor in aged male Wistar rats.
Methods: Twenty-eight aged Wistar rats (410 ± 15 g, 22 ± 1.5 months old) were randomly divided into four groups (n = 7): Control, ET (eight weeks endurance training on the treadmill), MitoQ (250 μ/L in drinking water), and ET + MitoQ. We measured the protein and gene expression of SESN2 and AMPK in the heart tissue by western blotting and real-time PCR, respectively. In addition, antioxidant indices, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and oxidant malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in the cardiac tissue and serum were measured.
Results: SESN2 and AMPK protein expression significantly increased in the MitoQ group compared to the control group (P = 0.002, P = 0.0003). MDA content in tissue and serum remained unchanged in all groups (P > 0.05). MitoQ supplementation significantly increased SOD and GPx enzyme activity in serum and cardiac tissue (P = 0.001).
Conclusion: Overall, ET and MitoQ alone and in combination have anti-aging effects and improve the expression of AMPK and SESN2. Additionally, ET and MitoQ lead to improved antioxidant capacity in aged rats by ameliorating the activity of antioxidant enzymes.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)