The beneficial effect of propolis during an eight-weeks of resistance training on TNF-α and IL-6 genes expression in the kidney tissue of female Wistar rats undergoing testosterone enanthate consumption

This study investigated the potential benefits of propolis in mitigating the adverse effects of testosterone enanthate on the gene expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the kidney tissue of female Wistar rats undergoing resistance training. Testosterone enanthate, a commonly used anabolic steroid among female athletes, is known to impair kidney function through inflammatory and oxidative pathways. Twenty-four female Wistar rats (8 weeks old, weighing 208.22 ± 14.17 g) were obtained from the Pasteur Institute. After a one-week acclimatization period, the rats were randomly divided into three groups: 1) training + placebo (n = 8), 2) training + testosterone enanthate (n = 8), and 3) training + testosterone enanthate + propolis (n = 8). The 8-week resistance training program involved a 1-m vertical ladder with 26 steps and additional weights. Training occurred five days a week with two rest days. Rats in the testosterone enanthate group received injections of 20 mg/kg body weight. The other group received the same testosterone supplementation plus propolis via gavage at 400 mg/kg body weight, three times a week. TNF-α gene expression in the training + testosterone group was significantly higher than in the training + placebo (<i>P</i> < 0.0001) and training + testosterone + propolis (<i>P</i> = 0.0025) groups. TNF-α gene expression in the training + testosterone + propolis group was also significantly higher than in the training + placebo group (<i>P</i> = 0.0001). Similarly, IL-6 gene expression in the training + testosterone group was significantly higher than in both the training + placebo (<i>P</i> < 0.0001) and training + testosterone + propolis (<i>P</i> = 0.0142) groups. IL-6 gene expression in the training + testosterone + propolis group was significantly higher than in the training + placebo group (<i>P</i> = 0.0016). These findings suggest that propolis supplementation can partially attenuate the inflammatory effects of testosterone enanthate on kidney tissue, likely through modulation of cytokines gene expression, highlighting its potential therapeutic role in preserving kidney health during anabolic steroid exposure.