Comparative study of radioprotective effects of endurance training in irradiation-induced nephropathy of rat model.

Objectives: Considering the antioxidant properties of endurance training, this study aimed to investigate the effects of endurance training on serum levels of oxidative stress and structural changes in the kidney tissue of rats exposed to X-ray irradiation.

Methods: In this experimental study, 24 rats weighing 220±20 g were randomly divided into four groups (healthy control, healthy with moderate-intensity continuous training, X-ray control, and X-ray with moderate-intensity continuous training). The two groups of rats were irradiated with 4 Gy X-rays. The two training groups also performed moderate-intensity continuous training for 10 weeks. Twenty-four hour after the last training session, the blood serum of rats was collected and kidney tissue was isolated for stereological studies.

Results: In this study, X-ray irradiation of the whole body of rats caused a significant increase in kidney volume, cortex volume, interstitial tissue volume, glomerular volume, and serum level of MDA (p≤0.05), but the medulla volume, volume of proximal tubules (total volume, volume of epithelium, and lumen), volume of distal tubules (total volume, volume of epithelium, and lumen), and the length of the proximal and distal tubules had no effect. In addition, TAC and SOD levels were significantly decreased in the radiation control group. Furthermore, performing endurance training in X-ray-irradiated rats significantly reduced kidney volume, cortex volume, glomerular volume, and serum MDA level (p≤0.05).

Conclusions: Moderate-intensity continuous training can improve the rate of destruction of kidney tissue in rats exposed to X-rays by reducing oxidative stress and subsequently increasing antioxidant capacity.