The Effect of Treadmill Exercise on Ischemic Neuronal Injury in the Stroke Animal Model: Potentiation of Cerebral Vascular Integrity

Kang, Kyoung Ah; Seong, Hohyun; Jin, Han-Byeol; Park, Jongmin; Lee, Jongmin; Jeon, Jae-Yong; Kim, Youn Jung

doi:10.4040/jkan.2011.41.2.197

J Korean Acad Nurs. 2011 Apr;41(2):197-203. Korean.
Published online Apr 30, 2011.
https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2011.41.2.197

Original Article

The Effect of Treadmill Exercise on Ischemic Neuronal Injury in the Stroke Animal Model: Potentiation of Cerebral Vascular Integrity

Kyoung Ah Kang,¹ Hohyun Seong,² Han-Byeol Jin,² Jongmin Park,³ Jongmin Lee,⁴ Jae-Yong Jeon,⁵ and Youn Jung Kim⁶

Author information

Author notes

Copyright and License

- ¹Full-time Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Mokpo Catholic University, Mokpo, Korea.
- ²Undergraduated Student, College of Nursing Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
- ³Graduated Student, College of Nursing Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
- ⁴Professor, Department of Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
- ⁵Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- ⁶Professor, College of Nursing Science, East West Nursing Institute, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
Address reprint requests to: Kim, Youn Jung. College of Nursing Science, Kyung Hee University, 1 Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-701, Korea. Tel : +82-2-961-0311, Fax : +82-2-961-9398, Email: yj129@khu.ac.kr

Received June 26, 2010; Accepted April 15, 2011.

Abstract

Purpose

This study was done to identify whether pre-conditioning exercise has neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia, through enhance brain microvascular integrity.

Methods

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: 1) Normal (n=10); 2) Exercise (n=10); 3) Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo), n=10); 4) Exercise+MCAo (n=10). Both exercise groups ran on a treadmill at a speed of 15 m/min, 30 min/day for 4 weeks, then, MCAo was performed for 90 min. Brain infarction was measured by Nissl staining. Examination of the remaining neuronal cell after MCAo, and microvascular protein expression on the motor cortex, showed the expression of Neuronal Nuclei (NeuN), Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) & laminin.

Results

After 48 hr of MCAo, the infarct volume was significantly reduced in the Ex+MCAo group (15.6±2.7%) compared to the MCAo group (44.9±3.8%) (p<.05), and many neuronal cells were detected in the Ex+MCAo group (70.8±3.9%) compared to the MCAo group (43.4±5.1%) (p<.05). The immunoreactivity of laminin, as a marker of microvessels and Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were intensively increased in the Ex+MCAo group compared to the MCAo group.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that the neuroprotective effects of exercise pre-conditioning reduce ischemic brain injury through strengthening the microvascular integrity after cerebral ischemia.

Keywords

Exercise; Brain ischemia; Evidence-based nursing

Figures

Figure 1
The effect of pre-conditioning exercise on the infarct volume induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) in the motor cortex was measured by Nissl staining. Infarct volume was reduced in Ex+MCAo group compared to MCAo group. Values are mean±SE (^*p<.05 vs MCAo). MCAo=middle cerebral artery occlusion; Ex=exercise.

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Figure 2
(A) Photographs of NeuN immunoreactivity in the motor cortex. There are many NeuN-positive cells in Normal (a) and Ex. group (b), compared to MCAo group (c). However, in Ex+MCAo group, (d) NeuN-positive cells were increased compared to MCAo group (scale bar, 100 µm). (B) Exercise significantly increased NeuN-positive cells in the mortor cortex. Values are mean±SE (^#p<.05 vs Normal, ^*p<.05 vs MCAo). MCAo=middle cerebral artery occlusion; Ex=exercise; NeuN=neuronal nuclei.

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Figure 3
The immunoreactivity of laminin in motor cortex. In normal (A) and Ex. group (B), micro vessels were intensively marked by laminin, and very little immunoreactivity of laminin was marked in MCAo group (C). However, in Ex+MCAo group (D), laminin expression was increas-ed compared to MCAo group (scale bar, 100 µm), MCAo=middle cerebral artery occlusion; Ex=exercise.

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Figure 4
Intensively VEGF immunoreactivity was shown in MCAo group (C) In Ex+MCAo group (D), little VEGF expression was observed, however, there was no VEGF immunoreactivity in either normal (A) or Ex. group (B) (scale bar, 100 µm). MCAo=middle cerebral artery occlusion; Ex=exercise; VEGF=vas-cular endothelial growth factor.

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Tables

Table 1
The Measurement of Infarction Volume

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Table 2
Neuronal Cell Count in Motor Cortex

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Notes

This study was supported by Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by Korean Government (MOEHRD) (KRF-2007-313-E00393).

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