Effects of 7-Week Aerobic Training and Piperine Supplementation on Oxidative Stress Markers of Brain Tissue in Male Wistar Rats Exposed to Paraquat

Introduction: Paraquat triggers oxidative stress and apoptosis. This study aimed to explore the effects of 7-week aerobic training and piperine supplementation on oxidative stress markers of brain tissue in male Wistar rats exposed to paraquat. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight adult rats were divided into 6 groups: 1) sham, 2) paraquat (negative control), 3) paraquat+training, 4) paraquat+training+piperine, 5) paraquat+piperine, and 6) paraquat+vitamin E. Aerobic training included 7 weeks of walking on a treadmill, 5 sessions per week for 30-40 minutes per session with 10 to 18 m/min. The paraquat was prepared at a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight; it was injected intraperitoneally 3 times a week. The animals were fed daily on piperine supplementation (20 mg) and vitamin E (20 mg/kg body weight). Oxidative stress markers, including malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels, were measured in samples obtained from the brain hippocampus tissue. Results: The MDA concentration was significantly higher in the negative control group (2.20±0.24) than in the sham (0.54±0.16), paraquat + training (1.64±0.25), paraquat+piperine (1.57±0.24), paraquat+training+piperin­e (1.16±0.18), a­nd p­araquat+vitamin E groups (1.43±0.15; P<0.001). However, the GSH concentration was significantly lower in the negative control group (1.63±0.20; P<0.001) than in sham (3.59±0.65), paraquat+training (1.94±0.25), paraquat+piperine (2.28±0.34), paraquat+training+piperine (3.20±0.39), and paraquat+vitamin E groups (2.08±0.31). Conclusion: The use of training alone and training with piperine supplementation can be considered a new strategy to prevent paraquat-induced neurotoxicity.