Aerobic exercise training reduces deep-frying oil-induced apoptosis of hippocampal tissue by reducing oxidative stress in male rats

Deep-frying oil (DFO) contains high amounts of free radicals, and consuming foods prepared with this method causes damage to nervous tissue due to oxidative stress (OS). Since moderate-intensity aerobic exercise training (AT) reduces OS, the current search investigated the effects of AT on OS, apoptosis, and neurogenesis markers in the hippocampal tissue of DFO-fed rats. Eighteen Wistar male rats (200–280 gr) were randomly allocated to a control group fed with normal food (Con-ND), a control group receiving DFO (Con-DFO), and a group receiving DFO-aerobic exercise (EX-DFO) (n = 6 in each). DFO was gavaged for four weeks, five days a week, with a dose of 2 ml. AT included running on a treadmill for four weeks and five sessions per week (40 min per session). The expression of genes B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), Protein X associated with Bcl-2 (BAX), Caspase-3 (Casp-3), and Caspase-9 (Casp-9) was measured by PCR method. The ELISA method was used to calculate levels of Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Catalase (CAT) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA), and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). Also, the expression of the proteins Cannabinoid receptor type 1(CB1), Cannabinoid receptor type2 (CB2), Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Neuronal nuclei (NeuN), and DNA fragmentation was evaluated by Immunohistochemical and TUNEL staining. DFO feeding led to a significant increase in apoptotic markers, such as BAX, Casp-3, and Casp-9 gene expression, and DNA fragmentation (p ≤ 0.05) while decreasing BDNF concentration SOD activity (p ≤ 0.05). AT significantly reduced the BAX, Casp-3, Casp-9, MDA, CB1, GFAP, and DNA fragmentation (p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, AT can reduce the harmful effects of feeding with DFO on the hippocampal tissue.