Impact of Early Endurance Training on Improvement of Brain Damage in CA1 Region of Hippocampus and Expression of A2A Protein Following Ischemic Stroke in Rats

Brain ischemia/reperfusion causes structural and functional damage in the hippocampus. Physical activity is an essential method for early rehabilitation after a stroke. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of 8 weeks of early endurance training on treadmill on improvement of the neurons of CA1 region of hippocampus and expression of A2A protein following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in male rats. 21 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of sham, ischemia + control, and ischemia + exercise. 24 hours after induction of ischemia, the rats in exercise group ran 5 days a week, for 8 weeks. Ischemia was induced by blocking both common carotid arteries for 45 minutes. Ladder test, hematoxylin and eosinophil (H&E) staining, and immunohistochemical method were used to evaluate functional status, neuronal death, and protein expression, respectively. The brain ischemia was associated with an increase in neuronal death in the CA1 region of hippocampus, and reduced cognitive function and motor learning. Early training significantly decreased cell death, as well as impaired cognitive function and motor learning. Moreover, in ischemia + exercise group, expression of A2A did not change significantly compared to the ischemia + control group. This study showed that early training on treadmill, as a rehabilitation stimulant, would have protective effects against cell death, and can improve motor function.