Changes in Aβ42, Neprilysin, and γ-Secretase in the Hippocampus of Male Rats Alzheimer’s model: the Effects of Aerobic Training and Omega-3 Intake

Background: alzheimer›s disease (ad) is characterized by excessive deposition of the amyloid-β peptide (aβ) in the central nervous system and reducing its level is the goal of many medications. this study aimed to investigate the effect of aerobic training and omega-3 intake on aβ42, neprilysin, and γ-secretase levels in the hippocampus of male rats alzheimer›s model. methods: fifty male wistar rats (age: 12 weeks-old and weight: 222.31 ± 11.91 g), were divided into the five groups including control alzheimer’s (ac), alzheimer’s with omega-3 intake (ao), alzheimer’s training (at), alzheimer’s with omega-3 intake and training (aot) and healthy control (hc). ad was induced by the injection of homocysteine (60mm) into the rat brain ventricle. training on the treadmill with a speed of 20 m/min (60 minutes and 5 days/week) was applied. the supplement group received omega-3 supplement 800 mg/kg of body weight, daily for eight weeks. levels of aβ42, γ-secretase, and neprilysin protein were measured using elisa method. in data analysis, one-way anova and tukey test as post hoc were used (p < 0.05). results: the obtained results showed that the level of aβ42 in the hippocampus of ac group was significantly higher than that of the hc group (p = 0.001). also, the level of aβ42 in the hippocampus of ac group was significantly higher as compared to ao, at, and aot groups (p values 0.001, 0.007, and 0.003 respectively). the γ-secretase level in the hippocampus of ac group was significantly higher than that in the hc group (p = 0.001). moreover, the γ-secretase levels in the hippocampus of the ac group were significantly higher compared to ao, at, and aot groups (p values: 0.002, 0.001, and 0.001 respectively). there was no significant difference in neprilysin levels of the hippocampus among the research groups (p = 0.534). conclusion: it appears that exercise training and omega-3 consumption, can affect amyloidogenic pathways through reducing the level of γ-secretase, and lead to reduced level of hippocampus aβ in ad subjects. therefore, aerobic exercise training and omega-3 intake can be studied as a complementary therapy in alzheimer’s patients.