Exercise training attenuates acute hyperalgesia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic female rats

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects of chronic (eight weeks) low-to moderate-intensity swimming training on thermal pain sensitivity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic female rats. METHODS: Female Wistar rats (n = 51) were divided into the following groups trained streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats [hyperglycemic trained (HT)], sedentary streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats [hyperglycemic sedentary (HS)], normoglycemic trained rats (NT) and normoglycemic sedentary rats (NS). Diabetes was induced by a single injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg, i.p.). One day after the last exercise protocol (60 min/day, five days/week for eight weeks) in the trained groups or after water stress exposure (ten min/twice a week) in the sedentary groups, the rats were subjected to a hot plate test. RESULTS: After eight weeks of swimming training, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats presented a significantly lower body mass (trained 219.5±29 g, sedentary 217.8±23 g) compared with the normoglycemic groups (trained 271±24 g, sedentary 275.7±32 g). Interestingly, we did not find differences in blood glucose levels (mg/dl) between the trained and sedentary groups of the hyperglycemic or normoglycemic rats (HT 360.2±6.6, HS 391.7±6.7, NT 83.8±14.0, NS 77.5±10.1). In the hot plate test, the rats from the HT group presented a significantly lower latency than the other rats (HT 11.7±7.38 s, HS 7.02±7.38 s, NT 21.21±7.64 s, NS 22.82±7.82 s). CONCLUSION: Low-to-moderate swimming training for a long duration reduces thermal hyperalgesia during a hot plate test in streptozotocin-induced diabetic female rats.