Maternal high-intensity interval training as a suitable approach for offspring’s heart protection in rat: evidence from oxidative stress and mitochondrial genes

Abstract

Considerable scientific evidence suggests that the intrauterine environment plays a crucial role in determining the long-term health of offspring. The present study aims to investigate the effects of high-intensity interval training in maternal rats before and during pregnancy on the antioxidant status, mitochondrial gene expression, and anxiety-like behavior of their offspring. A total of thirty-two female rats were assigned to four maternal groups based on the timing of exercise: before pregnancy, before and during pregnancy, during pregnancy, and sedentary. The female and male offspring were allocated to groups that matched their mothers’ exercise regimen. Anxiety-like behavior in the offspring was evaluated using the open-field and elevated plus-maze tests. Our findings indicate that maternal HIIT does not have any detrimental effect on the anxiety-related behavior of offspring. Also, maternal exercise before and during pregnancy could improve the general activity of the offspring. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that female offspring exhibit more locomotion activity than males. Besides, maternal HIIT leads to a reduction in the levels of TOS and MDA, while TAC levels increase, and significantly upregulate the gene expression of PGC1-α, NFR1, and NRF2 in both sexes in the heart. Therefore, our study suggests that maternal HIIT is a beneficial maternal behavior and serves as a cardioprotective agent to enhance the health of the next generations.

Treadmill exercise can regulate the redox balance in the livers of APP/PS1 mice and reduce LPS accumulation in their brains through the gut-liver-kupffer cell axis

“…This indicated that the hepatic Nrf2 antioxidant systems of the AD mice were also in suppressed states, and treadmill exercise promoted Nrf2 phosphorylation and downstream antioxidant protein expression in the livers of the AD mice. Appropriate exercise could improve antioxidant capacity, and this was consistent with numerous recent studies [39][40][41]. Prooxidant and antioxidant levels in the livers of the AD mice were lower than those in normal mice, but there was oxidative damage, and treadmill exercise increased both the prooxidant and antioxidant levels but reduced oxidative stress, suggesting that treadmill exercise may have regulated the hepatic redox balances in the AD mice, ultimately reducing oxidative stress.…”

Physically active pregnancies: Insights from the placenta

“…Most EV research has been conducted in nonpregnant populations; thus, current findings may not apply to our population of interest. Of the limited research examining EVs in the pregnant population, baseline levels of small EVs isolated from the plasma (10-120 nm) were higher in pregnant individuals than nonpregnant individuals (Mohammad, Hutchinson, et al, 2021). After a 30-min bout of moderate-intensity exercise, serum levels of small EVs were significantly higher in gesP than controls (Mohammad, Hutchinson, et al, 2021).…”

“…Of the limited research examining EVs in the pregnant population, baseline levels of small EVs isolated from the plasma (10-120 nm) were higher in pregnant individuals than nonpregnant individuals (Mohammad, Hutchinson, et al, 2021). After a 30-min bout of moderate-intensity exercise, serum levels of small EVs were significantly higher in gesP than controls (Mohammad, Hutchinson, et al, 2021). Conversely, levels of circulating large EVs, specifically endothelial and platelet EVs, were not impacted by an acute bout of walking, nor associated with markers of cardiorespiratory fitness (Abolbaghaei et al, 2023).…”

“…Mitochondrial genesis in the placenta is thought to influence nutrient transport and metabolism during pregnancy. In animal models, key mitochondrial biogenesis markers, such as PGC‐1α and mitochondrial transcription factor A, have been shown to change with gesP PA (Laker et al., 2021; Mohammadkhani et al., 2023). Work from our lab has shown that PA is associated with differences in placental mTOR molecules (Brett et al., 2015).…”