Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Journal of Eexercise & Organ Cross Talk

Neuroprotective effects of intense training and thyme honey on hippocampal cognitive pathways in diabetic rats

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Shadi Jalalian
Hossein Abednatanzi
Mandana Gholami
Farshad Ghazalian

Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22122/jeoct.2024.482657.1126
Abstract
Unmanaged Type 2 Diabetes (DM2) is a known risk factor for cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (DM3). This study explores the combined effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and thyme honey on the expression of genes involved in memory-related signaling pathways (BDNF-TrkB-CREB), which are compromised in both DM2 and DM3. This experimental study involved 36 young male Wistar rats, divided into four groups: control (C), HIIT (T), thyme honey (H), and HIIT-thyme honey (TH). The T and TH groups underwent 40 training sessions over two months, with progressively increasing intervals (from 2 to 8) and intensity (from 80% to 95% of maximum running speed). Concurrently, the H and TH groups were administered 3 g/kg of thyme honey 5 days a week. Changes in BDNF, TrkB, and CREB gene expression were assessed using RT-PCR. The data were analyzed through one-way ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc test, and Univariate analysis using SPSS-22 software. A significant increase in BDNF and CREB expression in the interactive intervention group and the expression of the TrkB gene in honey intervention groups were observed compared to diabetic control (P≥0.001). The interactive intervention with HIIT exercises and thyme honey has a synergistic effect on increasing gene expression in memory-related pathways. The highest effect size was observed for HIIT training on BDNF (EF=0.667) and CREB (EF=0.540), while the honey intervention showed a significant effect size on TrkB (EF=0.666).

What is already known on this subject?

The interactive intervention of HIIT and thyme honey has a synergistic effect on increasing BDNF and CREB gene expression.

 

What this study adds?

The combination of HIIT and thyme honey could serve as a natural intervention to counteract the decrease in memory-related gene expression in the hippocampus of diabetic rat.

Keywords

HIIT
Honey
Antioxidant
Diabetes
BDNF
Memory
Hippocampus

Subjects

Acknowledgements

This paper has been extracted from the Ph.D. thesis of Shadi Jalalian. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisors, Professor Abednatanzi, Professor Gholami, and Professor Ghazalian, for their invaluable guidance and support throughout this research.

Funding

The funding for this research was provided by the author.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Faculty of Medical Sciences and Technologies, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, with the ethics code IR.IAU.SRB.REC.1401.155.

Informed consent Not applicable

Author contributions

Conceptualization: Sh.J., H.A., M.Gh.; Methodology: Sh.J., H.A., F.Gh.; Software: H.A.; Validation: Sh.J., Formal analysis; Investigation: M.Gh., F.Gh.; Resources: Sh.J., H.A.; Data curation: Sh.J., H.A., M.Gh.; Writing - original draft: Sh.J.; Writing – review & editing: H.A.; Visualization: M.Gh.; Supervision: H.A. Project administration: H.A.; Funding acquisition: Sh.J.

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Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Volume 4, Issue 2
Spring 2024
Pages 99-106

  • Receive Date 09 March 2024
  • Revise Date 21 June 2024
  • Accept Date 30 June 2024

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