Impacts of endurance training and crocin supplementation on the apoptotic pathways in rat skeletal muscle following doxorubicin administration

Abstract

Background and aims: Doxorubicin (DOX), in addition to its anti-cancer properties, causes toxicity and increases the apoptosis of healthy tissues. The objective of the current research was to explore the concurrent influence of an eight-week aerobic training regimen combined with crocin supplementation on the apoptosis induced by DOX within the soleus muscle tissue of male rodents. Methods: In this study, a cohort of 40 male Wistar rats, each weighing between 200 and 220 g and approximately 8 weeks old, were systematically distributed into five distinct experimental clusters, including a healthy control (normal saline) and a patient control (intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg/kg of DOX ). The other clusters were DOX-exercise (intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg/kg of DOX with eight weeks of treadmill/5 days a week), DOX-crocin (intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg/kg) 2 kg of DOX along with 10 mg/kg of crocin extract/8 weeks), and DOX-exercise-crocin. Results: The administration of DOX was associated with a notable elevation in Bax and a reduction in Bcl-2 expression (P=0.001 and P=0.001). In contrast, engaging in eight weeks of aerobic exercise, ingesting crocin, or a synergistic approach combining both interventions resulted in a marked upregulation of Bcl-2 expression (P=0.001). This combined treatment also led to a significant diminution in the Bax mRNA (P=0.006) and a decrease in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio (P=0.001) within the soleus muscle tissue of male rodents subjected to DOX exposure. Conclusion: Aerobic exercise with crocin supplementation could inhibit apoptosis caused by DOX in the soleus muscle of male rats.