Antioxidant effect of chromium picolinate on chronic exercise-induced oxidative stress in male rats

Chromium picolinate influences antioxidant mechanisms, potentially affecting oxidative stress levels during prolonged aerobic exercise. This study investigates the effects of chromium supplementation on Catalase (CAT) activity and Malondialdehyde (MDA), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in chronic aerobic exercise in male rats. Twenty-eight male Wistar albino rats were divided into 4 groups containing 7 mice each (control, exercise, chromium, and chromium + exercise). Supplemented rats received chromium picolinate (8 µg/kg/day) daily for eight weeks. Exercise was performed on a rat treadmill at an average speed of 15 cm/s for 20 min, five days a week for eight weeks. At the end of the 8th week of the experimental period, blood samples were taken. CAT, MDA, AOPP, and GSH analyses were performed. It was observed that the chromium + exercise group induced a significant reduction in CAT activity compared to the other three groups (- 8.6 to - 12%, p < 0.05). MDA values meaningfully increased (18.2-25.7%, p < 0.001) in all groups, except the controls after the 8-week intervention. All groups demonstrated an increase in AOPP (8.1-12.3%, p < 0.001), but not the controls. In GSH, all experimental groups showed a significant elevation (30.3-45.8%, p < 0.001) compared to the control group (p < 0.001) following an 8-week intervention period. The present findings indicate that supplementation with chromium picolinate, whether administered alone or in conjunction with aerobic exercise, led to modulations in oxidative stress and redox status indices in male rats following an 8-week aerobic exercise regimen. The observed reduction in CAT activity may suggest a lowered oxidative challenge; however, this finding should be interpreted with caution, as decreased antioxidant enzyme activity can also reflect a potential limitation in defense capacity.