Effect of Six Weeks of Forced Exercise Training and Pistacia Atlantica Extract Consumption on Anxiety in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

The prevalence of anxiety symptoms in diabetic patients is higher than the general population. Exercise training and herbal antioxidant compounds are known to improve anxiety. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of six weeks of forced training and Pistacia atlantica extract consumption on anxiety level in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups: healthy control, diabetic control, diabetes + exercise training, diabetes + extract, and diabetes + exercise training + extract. Diabetes was induced by the intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg) and the training program included forced exercise training on a treadmill (speed of 20 m/min, 5% incline, and 40-min duration). The extract groups received Pistacia atlantica extract (25 mg/kg) at the end of each training session. Within 24 hrs after the final training session, open field test was used to assess anxiety in rats. The distance traveled, duration of mobility, entry to the central zone, and frequency of raising hands were considered as the indicators of anxiety in rats. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed for data analysis and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. There was a significant difference in the mean of traveled distance, duration of mobility, and the frequency of raising hands between the five groups (P=0.0001, 0.0001, and 0.005, respectively). However, there was no significant difference between the diabetic control group and the intervention groups (P>0.05). Also, there was no significant difference in the mean number of entries to the central zone between the five groups (P=0.81). The results showed that six weeks of forced exercise training and Pistacia atlantica extract consumption had no significant effects on the indices of anxiety, despite the slight improvement in these indicators; in fact, they did not lead to a significant reduction in anxiety in diabetic rats.