Effect of Aerobic Training on Synaptic Integrity Proteins in Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex of Type II Diabetic Rats

Background: Diabetes affects cognitive function, synaptic plasticity, synaptogenesis, and neurogenesis in the brain. The exercise improves cognitive function and prevents deleterious alterations in signaling pathways associated with diabetes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of aerobic treadmill exercise training (ATET) on synaptic proteins in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats.

Methods: Twenty healthy adult male Wistar rats approximately 3-month old, weighing 250 ± 25gr were used in this study. Experimental diabetes was induced by high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 weeks and a low dose of STZ (35 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Then diabetic animals were divided into two groups (n=10 per each group): control group (C) and aerobic training group (E). The exercise program was treadmill running at 13 m/min, 25 min/day, for 5 days/week at 0˚ slope for the first week, with a gradual increase to 27 m/min for 60 min/day in the week 8.
Results: The ATET significantly increased protein expression of SNAP-25 and PSD-95 in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex as compared to C group. However, there was no significant difference between synaptophysin levels of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in E and C groups.

Conclusion: The aerobic treadmill exercise program can attenuate the deleterious effects of diabetes and increased the expression of pre and post-synaptic plas­ticity associated proteins.