Abstract
Background. This study aims to determine the combined effect of physical activity and the hydroalcoholic extract of palm pollen on the expression of mir-21 and mir-132 in cadmium-induced toxicity in the kidney tissue of male rats.
Methods. In this study, 48 adult and healthy male Wistar rats with a weight range of 250 ± 30 grams and 12 weeks of age were randomly divided into 6 groups: 1) control, 2) exercise, 3) cadmium, 4) cadmium + exercise, 5) cadmium + palm 200 + exercise, 6) cadmium + exercise + palm 400. All groups received three milligrams per kilogram of body weight of cadmium chloride daily by gavage, and palm pollen extract was injected intraperitoneally with doses of 200 and 400 mg of body weight. Aerobic training started with rats running on a treadmill at a speed of 27 meters per minute for 16 minutes, and one minute was added to the training every day.
Results. The results showed that there is a significant difference in the expression of miR-21 between the groups (P=0.001), with cadmium causing a decrease and aerobic exercise and receiving palm pollen extract leading to a significant increase in the miR-21 gene expression (P=0.005). Also, there is a significant difference in the expression of miR-132 between the groups (P=0.04), indicating that cadmium decreased this variable when compared to the control; however, the combined effect of exercise and palm pollen administration was not statistically significant (P=0.98).
Conclusion. Our study showed that performing moderate-intensity regular exercise along with palm pollen in cadmium-treated mice upregulated microRNAs associated with kidney toxicity.
Practical Implications. The combined effect of the proposed herbal supplement and physical activity can control the harmful effects of exposure to cadmium on industrial societies and chemical industry workers to some extent.