Effect of Endurance Exercise Training and Gallic Acid on Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in an Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a non-refundable gradual neuro-degenerative disorder, in which the neurons, especially the ones in the memory zone, are damaged and cause increase in the level of cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). In the present study, we investigated the effect of endurance exercise training and chronic administration of Gallic acid (GA) on the TNF-α level in rat hippocampus in the Trimethyltin (TMT)-treated model of AD.
Seventy female Spraque Dawley rats were divided into seven groups: 1.Control, 2. AD, 3. GA50, 4. GA100, 5. Exercise, 6. Exercise᠎, and 7. Exercise᠍. In order to induce AD, Trimethyltin (8mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally to the rats in groups 2-7. Rats in the groups 5, 6, and 7 carried out an eight-week exercise program on a motorized treadmill (15-20 m/min, 0% inclination for 15-30 min/day, and 5 days/week). Animals of the groups 3 and 6 were treated by 50 mg/kg of GA and animals of groups 4 and 7 were treated by 100 mg/kg of the GA daily, for 2 weeks. Then, the TNF-α level in the hippocampus were measured.
The results indicated that the TNF-α level in the hippocampus was decreased in all test groups compared to the AD group.
Our findings indicate that endurance exercise training, GA consumption, and both administration of GA and co-treatment with training have immunomodulatory effects and could be used to inhibit the cytokine release after TMT intoxication.