Aerobic exercise impacts the expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes in rat myocardium during treatment and after methamphetamine withdrawal

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on the expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes within the myocardial tissue of rats during and after the Withdrawal of methamphetamine (METH) treatment. This investigation included 64 male Wistar rats, which were randomly assigned to eight distinct-groups: (1) Control, (2) Saline, (3) METH, (4) METH followed by withdrawal (METH/W), (5) METH followed by training (METH/Tr), (6) Concurrent METH and training (METH + Tr), (7) Concurrent METH and training, followed by withdrawal (METH + Tr/W), (8) METH and training, withdrawal, then resumed training (METH + Tr/W/Tr). The rats were subjected to a protocol of methamphetamine administration (5 mg/kg intraperitoneally, daily) over a six-week period, followed by a 21-day withdrawal period. Concurrently, the rats assigned to the aerobic exercise groups participated in treadmill running sessions (30 min per session), five days a week over six weeks. Post-intervention, myocardial gene expression levels of BAX (Bcl-2-associated X protein), BCL-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2), the BAX/BCL-2 ratio, melusin, and caspase-3 were quantified. Statistical analysis was performed utilising the ANOVA test to evaluate the data, followed by Tukey’s post hoc test to determine within-group differences. Significant differences ( P < 0.05) in BAX and caspase-3 expression, as well as the BAX/BCL-2 ratio, were observed in the METH group relative to other cohorts. Additionally, significant differences ( P < 0.05) in the expression levels of BCL-2 and melusin were noted between the saline group and other experimental conditions. Both aerobic training and METH withdrawal significantly altered ( P < 0.05) BCL-2 and melusin gene expression compared to ongoing METH exposure. Our findings suggest that six weeks of aerobic exercise modulates apoptotic gene expression, decreasing proapoptotic and enhancing anti-apoptotic gene activities in rat myocardium during METH treatment and following its withdrawal. This underscores the viability of aerobic exercise as a therapeutic intervention for ameliorating drug-induced cardiac apoptosis.