Effects of treadmill training on the expression of HSP70 and C-MYC in the brains of rats with focal cerebral ischemia / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effects of treadmill training on the recovery of neurological function and the expression of HSP70 and C-MYC in the brains of rats with focal cerebral ischemia. Methods Forty-two male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham group ( n =6), a model group (n =18) and a treadmill exercise group (n=18). Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in the model group and exercise group using a modified version of Longa's method. The rats in the treadmill exercise group were given treadmill training 6 d per week for 2 weeks after 24 h of MCAO. By contrast, the rats in the sham group and the model group were reared in standard cages. Before the rats were sacrificed at the 3rd, 7th and 14th d after MCAO, their neurological functions were tested using modified neurological severity scores ( mNSS) , and the mRNA and protein levels of HSP70 and C-MYC were detected using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) , immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Results Neurological function in the exercise group at the 7th and 14th days after MCAO had improved significantly compared with the control and model groups.The mRNA and protein levels of HSP70 and C-MYC were significantly upregulated at the 7th and 14th days. Conclusions Treadmill training can improve neurological function by upregulating the expression of HSP70 and C-MYC in the ischemic brain after MCAO.