Abstract

Objectives: The present study aimed at evaluating the effects of aerobic exercise training (ET) and different doses of berberine chloride (BC) supplementation on apoptotic indices in renal tissue of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Methods: In the current study, 64 Wistar rats were divided into two normal and diabetic groups and then the normal group was divided into two subgroups including normal control (NC) and normal exercise training (NET, 3 d/wk, 50-55 of VO2max for six weeks) and the diabetic group was divided into six subgroups including diabetic control (DC), diabetic exercise training (DET), diabetic BC15 (DBC: 15 mg/kg), diabetic BC30 (DBC: 30 mg/kg), diabetic BC15+ET (DBC15+ET), and diabetic BC30+ET (DBC30+ET). In-traperitoneal injection of STZ (100 mM citrate buffer, pH 4.5 contained 60 mg/kg STZ) was used for diabetes induction. Results: There was no significant difference in the levels of caspase-3 and Bax protein between the NC and DC groups (P = 0.59 and P = 0.49, respectively). The diabetic rats treated with BC30+ET demonstrated a reduction in caspase-3 compared with NC, DC, DBC15, and NET groups (P = 0.001, P = 0.02, P = 0.001, and P = 0.04, respectively). The results also revealed no significant difference in Bcl-2 protein level after six weeks of ET and BC supplementation in renal tissue of the studied groups (P = 0.33). Conclusions: These results suggested that aerobic exercise training combined with higher doses of BC could decrease pro-apoptotic indices with an increase in Bcl-2 to Bax ratio and suppress apoptotic cell death in the renal tissue of diabetic rats. © 2019, Middle East Journal of Rehabilitation and Health Studies.