Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk

Abstract The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise and nano-curcumin supplementation on cardiac TGF-β1/TRAF6 and CTGF pathways in rat with brain tumors. Forty male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups (n=8 in each) of healthy control, brain tumor, tumor + aerobic exercise (AE), tumor + nanocurcumin (N-CUR) and tumor+AE+N-CUR. Glioblastoma was injected into the rats in the frontal cortex. Nano curcumin supplement at the dose of 80 mg/kg was gavage for 4 weeks, 5 days a week. The training groups performed aerobic exercises on the treadmill for 4 weeks, 3 days a week at a speed of 18 meters per minute, for 25-40 minutes. At the end, the rats were sacrificed and TGF-β1, TRAF6, CTGF were analyzed from the myocardium by Real-time PCR method. Compared to the healthy control group, Tumor group significantly increased TGF-β1 mRNA and TRAF6 mRNA in the myocardium (p<0.05). Also, compared to the healthy control group, all tumor groups showed a significant increase in CTGF mRNA expression (p<0.05). In contrast to the Tumor group, the Tumor+AE and Tumor+AE+N-CUR groups showed a significant decrease in TGF-β1 mRNA at myocardium (p=0.0010 and p=0.0002, respectively). It seems that aerobic exercise or exercise with nano-curcumin supplement has better protective effects on the heart of tumor rats with downregulation of TGF-β1. It is suggested that different doses and various exercise modalities should be investigated to control cardiac fibrosis from the TGF-β1/TRAF6 and CTGF pathways.

Abstract Performing aerobic exercise in different disease conditions can regulate cardiac homeostasis and reduce cardiac apoptosis caused by the disease. In brain cancer, other tissues, including cardiac tissue, can also be affected. Since exercise training causes organ crosstalk, in this study, the effects of aerobic exercise training (AET) on cardiac apoptosis in Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) rats are evaluated. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups (n=8 in each) of healthy control, GBM, and GBM+AET. Glioblastoma was injected into the frontal cortex of rats. The training group (AET) performed aerobic exercises on the treadmill for 4 weeks, 3 days a week at a speed of 18 meters per minute, for 25-40 minutes. In the end, the rats were sacrificed and caspase-3 and caspase-7 were analyzed from the myocardium by Real-time PCR method. Considering H&E image, the GBM group showed necrosis and apoptosis in cardiac tissue compared to the healthy group. Compared to the healthy control group, GBM significantly increased caspase-3 and caspase-7 mRNA in the myocardium (p<0.05). However, in contrast to the GBM group, the GBM+AET showed a significant decrease in caspase-3 and caspase-7 mRNA at the myocardium (p<0.05). Since tumor formation in the body can affect other distant tissues in an endocrine manner, it is suggested to prioritize aerobic exercise to control the damage caused by GBM on heart tissue. However, more studies are needed, especially on human samples.