Investigating the impact of prolonged swimming exercise along with aqueous Artemisia annua supplementation on hippocampal angiogenic and inflammatory biomarkers in trimethyltin-induced neurodegeneration in rats

Banavi Yasooj, Hakimeh; Ghaedi, Hadi; Salehi, Omidreza

doi:10.22038/ajp.2026.27920

Investigating the impact of prolonged swimming exercise along with aqueous Artemisia annua supplementation on hippocampal angiogenic and inflammatory biomarkers in trimethyltin-induced neurodegeneration in rats

Articles in Press

Document Type : Short communication

Authors

¹ Department of Physical Education, Lamerd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lamerd, Iran,

² Department of Sport Sciences, Pishtazan Institute of Higher Education, Shiraz, Iran

10.22038/ajp.2026.27920

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the effects of eight-week swimming training (ST), combined with Artemisia annua supplementation, on hippocampal angiogenesis and inflammation in rats with trimethyltin (TMT)-induced Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats (16–18 months old) with TMT-induced AD were randomly assigned to four groups: TMT control, TMT+A. annua, TMT+ST, and TMT+ST+A. annua. Seven healthy rats served as healthy controls (HC). ST was performed for eight weeks, five sessions per week, with session durations ranging from 5-35 min. Rats in the supplementation groups received an aqueous extract of aerial parts of A. annua 50 mg/kg/day, oral administration.
Results: Compared with the TMT group, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression were significantly increased, whereas nuclear factor Kappa-B (NF-κB) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression were significantly decreased in the TMT+A. annua, TMT+ST, and TMT+ST+A. annua groups (P<0.05). The TMT+ST+A. annua group showed the greatest increase in VEGF and eNOS and the greatest reduction in NF-κB. In addition, eNOS expression was higher in TMT+ST than in TMT+A. annua, whereas NF-κB and TNF-α expression were lower in TMT+A. annua than in TMT+ST (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Eight weeks of ST and A. annua supplementation, alone or in combination, exerted anti-inflammatory and angiogenic effects in TMT-induced AD rats. Notably, A. annua showed stronger anti-inflammatory effects, whereas ST induced greater angiogenic responses. Their combination may synergistically enhance neuronal survival and vascular function, representing a promising neuroprotective strategy for neurodegenerative disorders.

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