Vitamin D and Training Modulates Gene Expression of TLR4 and NFkB in Lung Tissue of Obese Rats in an Experimental Study

Objective: Physical exercise has different effects on oxidative stress. Oxidative stress influences TLR4 and NFkB gene expression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of aerobic training and vitamin D on gene expression of TLR4 and NFkB in lung tissue of obese rats exposed to oxygenated water. Materials and Methods: In an experimental study, 30 obese male wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: control, oxygenated water, oxygenated water + vitamin D, oxygenated water + aerobic training, and oxygenated water + aerobic training + vitamin D. All the rats were injected intraperitoneally with oxygenated water. Vitamin D was performed by intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 μg daily for eight weeks. The aerobic training protocol included 8 weeks, 5 sessions per week running on treadmill. TLR4 and NFkB gene expression of lung tissue were investigated using real time & PCR. Two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test were used to analysis the data. The significant level was set at P-value< 0.05. Results: Aerobic training significantly reduced TLR4 expression compared with other groups (P-value: 0.046) but did not significantly affect the expression of NFkB gene (P-value: 0.261). Vitamin D alone and aerobic training and vitamin D interaction did not significantly alter the gene expression of TLR4 (P-value: 0.072 and P-value: 0.695, respectively) and NFkB (P-value: 0.243 and P-value:< 0.195, respectively). Conclusion: It seems that performing aerobic training is likely to be beneficial in reducing oxidative stress and inflammation compared to inactivity.