Effect of Resistance Training and Berberine Chloride Supplementation on IGF-1, PDGF, and VEGF Gene Expression in Hippocampal Tissue of Diazinon-Poisoned Rats

One of the most common agricultural pesticides is organophosphorus pesticides. Diazinon is one of the most widely used organophosphorus pesticides used in the fight against pesticides in the country. Much research has recently been done on the impact of exercise on brain function and several biological mechanisms have been proposed for the effects of exercise and physical activity on brain function. It is said that resistance training increases neuronal plasticity due to an increase in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Research has shown that IGF-1 can cross the blood-brain barrier and play an important role as a neurotrophic factor, especially in the hippocampus, and activate various important central mechanisms related to cognitive processes. Exercise also affects the expression of angiogenic genes such as PDGF and VEGF.

We randomly divided 40 male Wistar rats weighing 250 ± 50 g into eight groups of five and treated them with diazinon, berberine chloride, and resistance training. The groups were treated for five weeks. At the end of the fifth week, the levels of IGF-1, PDGF, and VEGF gene expression in hippocampal tissue homogenates were measured using Quantitative real-time PCR. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test.

The results showed that resistance training and berberine chloride significantly increased the levels of IGF-1, PDGF, and VEGF gene expression in poisoned rats.

Based on the results of this study, resistance training and berberine supplementation have significant effects on reducing the harmful effects of diazinon toxin (P < 0.05) and increasing IGF-1, PDGF, and VEGF gene expression in poisoned rats.