| Keywords |
Treadmill exercise ; Apoptosis ; Cell proliferation ; Memory ; Formaldehyde (FA) |
| Abstract |
The hippocampal formation is a complex region of the brain related to memory and learning. In the present study, the effect of treadmill exercise on the level of apoptosis and cell proliferation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and short-term memory following exposure of rats to formaldehyde (FA) in F344 rats was investigated. The male F344 rats were exposed throughout a 8-week period to concentrations of FA: NCG (normal control group), NEG (normal exercise group), FACG (formaldehyde control group, 12 ppm), FAEG (formaldehyde exercise group, 12 ppm). This was done by placing them for 1 h/day and 5 days per week in a glass chamber containing FA vapor. The treadmill exercise group were made to run on a treadmill for 30 min once a day for 8 weeks. Apoptotic neuronal cell death in the hippocampal dentrate gyrus was measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) immunohistochemistry, and cell proliferation was detected by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry. And retention time was measured by passive avoidance test after 8 weeks. It was shown that apoptosis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus were significantly decreased following FAEG after 8 weeks. Cell proliferation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus were significantly increased following FAEG after 8 weeks. Furthermore, the treadmill exercise for 8 weeks increased retention time in passive avoidance task, suggesting alleviation of formaldehyde-induced short-term memory impairment. The present results suggest that treadmill exercise may protect neurons from apoptotic neuronal cell death and aids in recovery from the central nervous system sequelae following the formaldehyde exposure. |