Modulation of brain antioxidant enzymes in response to treadmill exercise training with reference to aging

Aging is an universal, intrinsic, progressive, irreversible and deleterious phenomenon. As age advances, several enzymes show an increase, while some decrease and some do not show any change in their activities. These specific alterations in the enzymes must have inflicted a great impact on the process of aging. This process is thought to be related to increase in free radicals generation and oxidative stress. In the present study an attempt was made to investigate the impact of exercise training on aging by selecting two age groups (3months as “young” and 18 months as “old”). Standard protocols were followed for the assay of selective antioxidant enzymes with rat as an animal model. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione (GSH) levels were decreased with the advancement of age. The decline in antioxidant enzymes with age could be due to the disturbances of intracellular prooxidant-antioxiadnt homeostasis, which leads to cell death. However, the activities of SOD, CAT, GR and GPx and levels of GSH were augmented with exercise training in both age groups of rats. The elevation of SOD observed might be aimed at the removal of superoxide anion radicals generated due to aging process. Where as, the increase in GPx activity indicate its active participation in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and organic hydroperoxides generated via dismutation of super oxide anion by SOD. It was concluded that 2 months treadmill exercise is beneficial in order to avoid detrimental effects of free radical generation during the process of aging. Asian Journal of Bio Science, Vol. 4 Issue 1 : 73-78 (April to September, 2009)