Exercise reduces inhibitory neuroactivity and protects myenteric neurons from age-related neurodegeneration.
The practice of regular exercise is indicated to prevent some motility disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract, such as constipation, during aging. The motility alterations are intimately linked with its innervations. The goal of this study is to determine whether a program of exercise (running on the treadmill), during 6 months, has effects in the myenteric neurons (NADH- and NADPH-diaphorase stained neurons) in the colon of rats during aging. Male Wistar rats 6 months (adult) and 12 months (middle-aged) old were divided into 3 different groups: AS (adult sedentary), MS (middle-aged sedentary) and MT (middle-aged submitted to physical activity). The aging did not cause a decline significant (p>0.05) of the number of NADH-diaphorase stained neurons in sedentary rats (AS vs. MS group). In contrast, a decline of 31% was observed to NADPH-diaphorase stained neurons. Thus, animals that underwent physical activity (AS vs. MT group) rescued neurons from degeneration caused by aging (total number, density and profile of neurons did not change with age--NADH-diaphorase method). On the other hand, physical activity augmented the decline of NADPH-diaphorase positive neurons (total number, density and profile of neurons decreased). Collectively, the results show that exercise inhibits age-related decline of myenteric neurons however, exercise augments the decline of neurons with inhibitory activity (nitric oxide) in the colon of the rats.
Department of Surgery of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, University of São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: karinamg@usp.br.
Karina
K
Martinez Gagliardo
Department of Morphology of the Centre of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
Naianne Kelly
NK
Clebis
Department of Biology, Paranaense University, Paranavaí, PR, Brazil.
Sandra Regina
SR
Stabille
Department of Surgery of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, University of São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil.
Renata
R
De Britto Mari
Department of Biochemistry of the Centre of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
Jacira Maria Andrade
JMA
De Sousa
Department of Surgery of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, University of São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil.
Romeu Rodrigues
RR
De Souza
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D048429:Cell Size; D003106:Colon / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008058:Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D006651:Histocytochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000379:methods / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase; D008058:Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase