The Effect of Two Types of Training Programs on the Expression of TrkB, Bax and Bcl-2 Genes in Male Rats After Induction of Cerebral Ischemia

Background: Physical activity and dynamic lifestyle play an important role in the prevention and treatment of some common neurological diseases. One valuable approach to increasing health and reducing brain damage is to perform an exercise and physical activity. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of exercise pre-training on the intervening factors and complications of cerebral ischemia. Methods: In this study, forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups, including (1) endurance training, (2) endurance-cognitive training, (3) ischemia, and (4) control. The training was performed for 3 weeks. After the last training session, the rats had to undergo cerebral ischemia. The ischemia was induced by occlusion of both common carotid arteries for 30 min. Real-time PCR method was used to measure the expression level of TrkB, Bax, and Bcl-2 genes. Results: The levels of TrkB gene expression were significantly increased in the endurance training and endurance-cognitive training groups compared to the ischemia and control groups (P < 0.05). There was a significant increase in the levels of Bcl-2 gene expression in the endurance training group compared to the ischemia group as well as the endurance-cognitive group compared to the ischemia and control groups (P < 0.05). Also, the levels of Bax gene expression in the endurance training and endurance-cognitive groups were significantly lower than the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: This study showed that exercise as a preconditioning stimulus has neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia.