Effects of treadmill exercise and preconditioned bone marrow- derived mesenchymal stem cells transplantation on Aβ-induced neurotoxicity in male rats

Introduction: Preconditioning of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a promising strategy to enhance the therapeutic properties of transplanted MSCs. In this study, we investigated the synergistic effects of treadmill exercise and dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG)-preconditioned stem cells in an Alzheimer’s disease (AD) model. Materials and Methods: DMOG- treated MSCs were intravenously transplanted in the AD model and the rats went on treadmill exercise for one month. Thusly, expression of bax, bcl-2, Nrf2, and NQO1 genes were assessed using real- time PCR. Results: Transplantation of DMOG-treated cells had greater effects on increasing Nrf-2 and NQ1 expression and reducing apoptosis compared to non- treated cells. Ultimately, treadmill exercises for one month along with the transplantation of DMOG- treated cells showed the highest neuroprotective effect. Conclusion: It seems that the transplantation of DMOG-treated cells beside exercise may have protective effects in the AD model via an increase in antioxidant capacity and a decrease in apoptosis.