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Effect of exercise intensity and duration on the levels of stress hormones and hypothalamic-pituitary–gonadal axis in adult male rats: an experimental study

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Abstract

Purpose

The effect of exercise on stress has been demonstrated in several studies which have shown that exercise intensity and duration have various effects on the reproductive axis. This study evaluated the effect of different intensities and durations of exercise on the hormonal indices of stress, such as corticosterone (CORT), norepinephrine (NEP), and also reproductive performance indices, including gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone (T).

Methods

In this experimental study, 30 adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups as follows: no-exercise, RME-1 (regular moderate exercise for 1 month), RME-6 (regular moderate exercise for 6 months), RIE-1 (regular intensive exercise for 1 month), and RIE-6 (regular intensive exercise for 6 months). At the end of the experiment, the serum levels of the abovementioned hormones and hypothalamic expression of the Gnrh gene were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the real-time polymerase chain reaction method, respectively.

Results

The levels of stress hormones, including CORT and NEP, increased only in the RIE-1 group compared with the no-exercise group. In addition, an increase was observed in T hormone levels in the RME-1 group compared with those in the no-exercise group, whereas LH and T hormone levels showed a greater decrease in the RIE-6 group than in the no-exercise group. Gnrh expression levels showed an increase and a decrease in the RME-1 and RIE-6 groups compared with the no-exercise group, respectively.

Conclusion

These results confirmed the effects of different intensities and durations of exercise on sex hormone levels.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available.

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Funding

The authors thank the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences for the preparation of laboratory equipment.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Higher Education Institute of Rab-Rashid, Tabriz, Iran

    Nazli Khajehnasiri

  2. Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran

    Mehdi Banitalebi Dehkordi

  3. Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Technologies, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran

    Mehdi Banitalebi Dehkordi

  4. Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, PO Box: 88137-33343, Shahrekord, Iran

    Hossein Amini-Khoei & Reihaneh Sadeghian

  5. Mental Health Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Motahareh Sadat Mirhaj Mohammadabadi

Authors
  1. Nazli Khajehnasiri
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  2. Mehdi Banitalebi Dehkordi
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  3. Hossein Amini-Khoei
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  4. Motahareh Sadat Mirhaj Mohammadabadi
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  5. Reihaneh Sadeghian
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Reihaneh Sadeghian.

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Ethical approval

All animal experimental procedures were performed in accordance with the guidelines for the proper conduct of animal experiments issued by the Ethics Committee of the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences and performed according to The Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals published by the National Institutes of Health, USA (NIH Publication No. 85–23, revised 1985).

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Khajehnasiri, N., Dehkordi, M.B., Amini-Khoei, H. et al. Effect of exercise intensity and duration on the levels of stress hormones and hypothalamic-pituitary–gonadal axis in adult male rats: an experimental study. Hormones 20, 483–490 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42000-021-00303-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42000-021-00303-4

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