ABSTRACT

       Background and Objective: Doxorubicin (DOX) is an effective anticancer drug. It has been shown that  a short-term exercise performed prior to DOX-treatment has no effect on cardiotoxicity in young rats. In the present study, old and young rats were evaluated to determine the protective effects of pre-treatment with short-term exercise on DOX-induced oxidative damage in cardiac tissue.

        Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups of young and old, and later divided into three sub-groups of young+DOX, young+training+DOX, young+training+salin, old+DOX, old+training+DOX and old+training+salin. The training protocol included treadmill running for 25-39 min/day at 15-17 m/min, 5 days/week for three weeks. All treatments were carried out 24h after the last exercise bout. The rats were sacrificed 48h

 after DOX administration.

        Results: Although DOX injection significantly affected the cardiac tissue of old rats compared to young rats, pretreatment with endurance training in DOX-treated rats caused an increase in Heat shock protein (3.02% vs. 23.36) and superoxide dismutase (30.12% vs. 31.12), and a decrease in malondialdehyde (10.92% vs. 19.60) in both old and young rats.

         Conclusion: Although DOX-induced production of free radicals and cardiotoxicity in aged rats is more than that in young rats,  the short-term aerobic exercise reduced the damaging effects of free radicals in the old rats more than in young ones. The concentration of antioxidant enzymes also increases with exercise in the old rats compared to young rats.

          Keywords: Cardiotoxicity, Doxorubicin, Oxidative Stress, Aerobic Exercise.

ABSTRACT
        Background and Objectives: Previous studies have shown that morphine dependence leads to myocardial dysfunction. In addition, apelin plays a protective role in cardiac function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of morphine dependence and three models of exercise training on serum apelin level of dependent and healthy rats.
       Methods: Ten healthy and 40 morphine-dependent rats were used in this study. The morphine-dependent rats were divided into four equal groups of control addicts, endurance training, strength training and concurrent training. The training exercises were carried out for eight weeks, five days a week. Serum apelin level was measured by ELISA, 72 hours after the last training session.
        Results: Statistical analysis demonstrated that apelin level increased significantly in morphine-dependent rats compared to healthy controls. On the other hand, endurance and concurrent training significantly increased serum apelin level in morphine-dependent rats compared to control addicts, but strength training had not effect on serum apelin level in morphine-dependent rats.
         Conclusion: Endurance and concurrent training may have cardioprotective effects on morphine-dependent rats by increasing serum apelin levels. Therefore, such training activities could be recommended to morphine-dependent patients to prevent cardiac disorders.
          Keywords: Apelin, Morphine, Exercise.

ABSTRACT
          Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 12 weeks of intense endurance training and bee pollen consumption on ABCA1 gene expression in small intestine, liver and gastrocnemius muscle tissues of male rats.
           Methods: In this study, 24 male Wistar rats (aged 6-8 weeks and weighing 90-110 g) were randomly divided into four groups of saline-control (n=6), saline-training (n=6), bee pollen-control (n=6) and bee pollen-training (n=6). The training groups exercised on a treadmill for 12 weeks (30 m/min, 90 min/day, five days/week). The bee pollen groups were given bee pollen orally (500 mg/Kg) for 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA at significance level of 0.05.
          Results: ABCA1 gene expression was highest in the liver, gastrocnemius muscle and small intestine, respectively. The findings also revealed that the intense endurance training caused a non-significant increase in ABCA1 gene expression in the small intestine and liver. However, the training caused a non-significant decrease in ABCA1 gene expression in the gastrocnemius muscle. In addition, consumption of bee pollen significantly increased ABCA1 gene expression in the small intestine and gastrocnemius muscle of male rats. However, the effect of bee pollen on the gene’s expression in the liver was not statistically significant.
           Conclusion: Based on our findings, it can be concluded that consumption of bee pollen has more beneficial effects on the ABCA1 gene expression and reverse cholesterol transport compared with the intense endurance training.
           Keywords: ABCA1 protein, Pollen, exercise.

ABSTRACT

        Background and Objectives: Sirtuin (SIRT), Fibroblast Growth Factor₂₁ (FGF₂₁) and Fetuin A are proteins that cause a wide range of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). On the other hand, regular physical activity is known to play a key role in prevention and management of T2DM. Thus, this study investigated the effect of vigorous aerobic exercise on serum levels of metabolic parameters including SIRT₁, FGF₂₁ and Fetuin A in women with T2DM.

          Methods: The study was performed on 28 randomly selected women with T2DM who were divided into an exercise group and a control group. The training intervention consisted eight weeks of vigorous aerobic exercise (three times a week at 70-80% of maximum heart rate). The serum levels of SIRT₁, FGF₂₁ and Fetuin A were evaluated before the first session and 48 hours after the last session. Paired sample t-test and independent t-test were used to analyze within and between group differences, respectively. All statistical analyses were performed in SPSS (version 19) at significance of 0.05.
          Results: The eight-week aerobic training caused a significant reduction in body weight, body mass index, insulin resistance, low-density lipoprotein, fasting blood sugar, triglycerides and Fetuin A of women with T2DM. In addition, it caused a significant increase in SIRT1 and FGF₂₁ levels. There was no significant difference in the level of high-density lipoprotein and cholesterol between the two groups.
          Conclusion: As a non-pharmacological therapy, regular aerobic exercise might improve the metabolic parameters, SIRT1, FGF21, and Fetuin A in women with T2DM.
          Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus Type 2, SIRT₁, FGF₂₁, Fetuin A, Exercise.

ABSTRACT
          Background and objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of six months of aerobic exercise on lipid profile, inflammatory markers, and risk factors of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged obese women.
          Methods: Fifteen obese woman (age range: 35 to 45 years) with BMI of ≥30 Kg/m² were enrolled via purposeful and convenience sampling. The participants were randomly divided into training (n=10) and control (n=5) groups.  Blood samples (7 ml) were taken from all participants before the first training session and after the last training session. The women performed 60 minutes of aerobic exercise at 55-65% of heart rate reserve, three sessions a week, for six months. Data was analyzed using independent and paired t-tests and Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon tests at significance of 0.05.
          Results: After the six-month aerobic exercise, C-reactive protein, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein/total cholesterol decreased significantly. The exercise intervention also caused a significant increase in the concentrations of high-density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein A.
          Conclusion: Aerobic exercise can reduce the level of inflammatory markers associated with risk of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis.
          Keywords: Lipid profile, Inflammatory markers, Obese women, Apolipoprotein, Aerobic exercise.

ABSTRACT
           Background and Objectives: Inactivity, obesity and hormone disorders can lead to various diseases in obese and non-athletic individuals. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of six months of aerobic exercise on serum levels of insulin, growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth hormone 1 (IGF-1) in sedentary obese women.
           Methods: In  this quasi-experimental  study, 15  inactive,  obese  (body mass index >30) women aged 37-47 years were selected from employees of the Ferdowsi University in Mashhad (Iran), via purposive and available sampling. The participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (n=10) and a control (n=5) group. The experimental group performed 60 minutes of aerobic exercise at 55-65% of heart rate reserve, three sessions a week, for six months. Serum GH, IGF-1 and insulin levels were measured in both groups before the first training session and after the last training session. The Shapiro–Wilk test and the Levene's test were used to assess normal distribution of data and homogeneity of variance, respectively. Independent and dependent t-tests were used to compare between-group and within-group differences at significance of 0.05. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software (version 18).
           Results: Serum concentrations of IGF-1 and insulin reduced significantly following the six-month aerobic exercise program. In addition, the exercise training caused an insignificant increase in GH levels.
           Conclusion: Our proposed aerobic exercise protocol significantly reduces IGF-1 level, which is closely related to the incidence of atherosclerosis, breast cancer, and colon cancer. The significant decline in insulin secretion following the six-month aerobic exercise program may provide more amounts of nutrients for muscle glucose metabolism.
           Keywords: Growth hormone, Insulin, Insulin-like growth factor 1, Exercise.