Swimming exercise enhances the hippocampal antioxidant status of female Wistar rats.
OBJECTIVE
Moderate exercise is known to have health benefits, while both sedentarism and strenuous exercise have pro-oxidant effects. In this study, we assessed the effect of moderate exercise on the antioxidant homeostasis of rats' hippocampi.


METHODS
Female Wistar rats were submitted to a 30-minute swimming protocol on 5 days a week, for 4 weeks. Control rats were immersed in water and carefully dried. Production of hippocampal reactive species, activity of antioxidant enzymes, and glutathione levels in these animals were determined up to 30 days after completion of the 4-week protocol.


RESULTS
Production of reactive species and hippocampal glutathione levels were increased 1 day after completion of the 4-week protocol, and returned to control levels after 7 days. Antioxidant enzyme activities were increased both 1 day (catalase) and 7 days (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) after completion of the protocol. Thirty days after completion of the protocol, none of the antioxidant parameters evaluated differed from those of controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results reinforce the benefits of aerobic exercise, which include positive modulation of antioxidant homeostasis in the hippocampi. The effects of exercise are not permanent; rather, an exercise regimen must be continued in order to maintain the neurometabolic adaptations.
Vinícius
V
Stone
Karen Yurika
KY
Kudo
Thiago Beltram
TB
Marcelino
Pauline Maciel
PM
August
Cristiane
C
Matté
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*
D000975:Antioxidants; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase
Aerobic exercise; Antioxidant status; Neurometabolic adaptation; Reactive species; Swimming