Treadmill exercise enhances nitric oxide synthase expression in the hippocampus of food-deprived rats

Lee, Myoung-Hwa; Shin, Mal-Soon; Sim, Young-Je; Kim, Hong; Lee, Hee-Hyuk; Kim, Chang-Ju; Park, Chan; Hong, Seon-Pyo; Cho, Sonhae

doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2005.06.007

« Previous Next »Nutrition Research
Volume 25, Issue 8 , Pages 771-779, August 2005

Treadmill exercise enhances nitric oxide synthase expression in the hippocampus of food-deprived rats

Myoung-Hwa Lee
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea
Mal-Soon Shin
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea
Young-Je Sim
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea
Hong Kim
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea
Hee-Hyuk Lee
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea
Chang-Ju Kim
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea
Chan Park
- Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea
Seon-Pyo Hong
- Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea
Sonhae Cho
- Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul 130-701, South Korea
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 2 961 0367; fax: +82 2 966 3885.

Received 19 February 2005; received in revised form 19 May 2005; accepted 15 June 2005.

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) is endogenously synthesized from l-arginine by the enzyme NO synthase (NOS). Three isoforms of NOS have been characterized: neuronal NOS (nNOS), endothelial NOS, and inducible NOS. Acting as a neuronal messenger in the brain, NO is crucial in learning and memory processes. Starvation is known to decrease learning ability and memory capability. In the present study, we examined the effect of treadmill exercise on the expression of NOS and nNOS in the hippocampus of food-deprived rats. Food deprivation suppressed the NOS and nNOS expression in the CA1 region, the CA2 and CA3 regions, and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. We have observed that treadmill running overcomes the food deprivation–induced suppression of the NOS and nNOS expression in the various hippocampal regions. The present results suggest that treadmill exercise may overcome the starvation-induced decrease of learning ability and memory function in the hippocampus.

Keywords: Nitric oxide, Nitric oxide synthase, Neuronal nitric oxide synthase, Treadmill exercise, Food-deprivation, Hippocampus, Rat