Changes in body composition of Wistar rats: effects of high-intensity interval training

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in the body composition of Wistar rats. The HIIT protocol consisted of high-intensity swimming three times a week for four weeks. There were no differences between groups as to the Lee index. However, the weights of the perigonadal (p=0.001) and retroperitoneal (p=0.026) fats were significantly different between the Control Group (CG, n=10) vs. Trained Group (TG, n=10), respectively. There was also a significant increase in the body weight of the animals in TG (16.43%) and CG (7.19%) at the end of the experiment. These findings suggested that HIIT was not sufficient to improve significantly the body composition of rats.

Effects of Resistance Training and Bowdichia virgilioides Hydroethanolic Extract on Oxidative Stress Markers in Rats Submitted to Peripheral Nerve Injury.

The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of the combination of resistance training (RT) and the hydroethanolic extract (EHE) of Bowdichia virgilioides as markers of oxidative stress (OS) in rats with peripheral nerve injury (PNI). Rats were allocated into six groups (n = 10): animals without interventions (C), animals with an exposed nerve but without injury, injured animals, trained and injured animals, injured animals that received EHE, and animals that received a combination of RT and EHE. RT comprised the climbing of stairs. EHE was orally administered (200 mg/kg) for 21 days after PNI induction. RT reduced the amount of lipoperoxidation in plasma (14.11%). EHE reduced lipoperoxidation in the plasma (20.72%) and the brain (41.36). RT associated with the extract simultaneously reduced lipoperoxidation in the plasma (34.23%), muscle (25.13%), and brain (43.98%). There was an increase in total sulhydrilyl levels (a) in the brain (33.33%) via RT; (b) in the brain (44.44%) and muscle (44.51%) using EHE; and (c) in the plasma (54.02%), brain (54.25%), and muscle using the combination of RT + EHE. These results suggest that RT associated with oral EHE results in a decrease in OS.