Treadmill exercise ameliorates impairment of spatial learning memory in pups born to old and obese mother rats

Abstract

Memory state of rat pups born to old and obese mother rats and the ef-fect of a treadmill running of mother rats on the memory of rat pups were studied. The radial 8-arm maze test was performed to detect spa-tial learning memory, and the level of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleu-kin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 in the hippocampus was measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Western blotting was performed for the expres-sion of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer (NF-κB), nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, al-pha (IκB-α), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and immunohistochemistry for caspase-3 was conducted. The newborn rats were classified into fol-lowing groups: pups born to old mother rats, pups born to old mother rats with exercise, pups born to old and obese mother rats, and pups born to old and obese mother rats with exercise. Exercise of mother ameliorated spatial learning memory impairment, inhibited proinflam-matory cytokines production, NF-κB expression, and IκB-α phosphory-lation of the pups born to old and obese mother rats. Maternal exercise suppressed Bax expression, the number of caspase-3, the level of MMP-9, and enhanced Bcl-2 expression of the pups born to old and obese mother rats. When the maternal exercise was performed, the impairment of spatial learning memory in pups was ameliorated. There-fore, it can be seen that exercise during pregnancy of older and obese mothers is an important factor in fetal health management.