Effect of treadmill exercise on glutamate transporter proteins and acetylcholinesterase activity in the prefrontal cortex of diabetic rats

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes-induced neurological disorders could be attributed to changes in the neurotransmitter systems. To determine the effects of diabetes mellitus and physical activity on the brain's glutamatergic and cholinergic systems, the levels of glutamate transporter proteins and acetylcholinesterase activity were investigated in the prefrontal cortex of diabetic animals with/without treadmill exercise. Materials and Methods: Adult Wistar rats (5 rats/group) were used in this study. Diabetes mellitus was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). Control animals received 0.1 M citrate buffer as vehicle. After 14 days, animals were randomly divided into non-exercise and exercise groups. In the exercise groups, animals were subjected to 4 weeks of treadmill exercise (5 days per week). Thereafter, animals were sacrificed and prefrontal cortices were isolated to measure protein levels of astrocytic (GLAST and GLT-1) and neuronal (EAAC1) glutamate transporters and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Results: Animals in the diabetic group had higher GLAST and lower EAAC1 levels (P