Effect of 6 weeks aerobic training on peripheral neuropathic pain and expression of NOTCH1 pathway genes in posterior spinal cord of diabetic male rats

Abstract

Introdution: Neuropathic pain is one of the most important factors affecting the quality of life of people with diabetes mellitus; regular exercises may have a role in reducing the pain associated with diabetes. The purpose of this study was the effect of six weeks aerobic training on environmental neuropathic pain and expression of the NOTCH1 pathway in the spinal cord of diabetic male rats.

Methods: 40 male Wistar rats (age: 8 weeks old; weight 220-250g) were randomly divided into 4 groups: diabetic neuropathy training (DNT), diabetic neuropathy control (DNC), healthy training (HT) and healthy control (HC).The diabetic groups were induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) and two weeks after induction of diabetes, behavioral pain tests were administered and endurance training protocol was performed for 6 weeks and 5 sessions per week.
.The data were analyzed via  SPSS software version 19 and one-way ANOVA with a significant level (P <0.05)

Results: After 6 weeks of aerobic training, the expression of NOTCH1 HES1 and il6 genes in diabetic neuropathy training group was significantly lower than the diabetic neuropathy control group (P≤0/05). The mean weight of the diabetic neuropathic training group was more than the diabetic neuropathy control group (p=0/001). Also, exercise significantly decreased blood glucose levels in the diabetic neuropathy group (P=0/237).

Conclusion: It seems that aerobic exercise on rats with diabetic neuropathy can affect on pain sensation as well as the levels of NOTCH1, HES1 and il6 factors, and aerobic exercise is a suitable method for preventing, controlling and treating pain associated with diabetes.