The Effect of a Four-week Aerobic Activity in Water on the Extent of Clinical Improvement and Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) Protein in the Brain Tissue of Animal Model of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) via Inducing Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE)

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of a four-week aerobic physical activity in water on the extent of clinical improvement and amount of neuregulin-1 (NRG1) protein in the brain tissue of animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS) via inducing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).
To this end, a total number of 80 female Syrian mice from the race of C57BL/6, aging 10 to 12 weeks and weighing 20 ± 2 gram were divided into eight groups of 10, namely, control, swimming, MS, MS swimming, MS interferon beta (INF-β), MS solvent, and MS solvent swimming environment. For induction of EAE, 300 μg (35-55) myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) was first mixed in 100 μl phosphate buffered saline (PBS) with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) and injected subcutaneously (SC). At the time of injection and after 48 hours, 300 ng pertussis toxin was diluted in PBS and injected intraperitoneally (IP). During a week after the treatment, mice recieving the drug in form of intraperitoneal received 150 IU/g of the drug per day. Clinical symptoms and the mice's weights were recorded every day. Physical activity group did the aerobic activities for four weeks, five sessions a week, 30 minutes each session. Standard scoring system was used for clinical check and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to measure NRG1 protein. Data analysis was done using one-way ANOVA.
Findings: The effect of physical activity in water on treatment of multiple sclerosis was the same as that of interferon. The amount of rise in NRG1 protein in swimming group was more than that of the interferon group.
Aerobic swimming exercises could probably help remyelination by increasing the amount of NRG1 protein and lowering the speed of myelin destruction, hence, helping the clinical improvement in patients with multiple sclerosis.