Introduction: Methamphetamine not only causes addiction but also induces abnormal alterations in dopamine and its transporter (DAT). These harmful effects remain even after relatively long periods of withdrawal. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of aerobic exercise intervention combined with NBS wheat supplementation on dopamine and DAT in male rats exposed to methamphetamine.
Methods: 48 male Wistar rats, aged 8 weeks, with an average weight of 200±10 grams, were randomly divided into six groups: control (CO), methamphetamine (MA), withdrawal (W), withdrawal and aerobic exercise (W/TR), withdrawal and supplementation (W/SUP), and withdrawal combined with aerobic exercise and supplementation (W/TR+SUP). The rats were initially addicted to methamphetamine through intraperitoneal injections over six weeks, with the dosage increasing from 20 mg/kg body weight in the first week to 30 mg/kg in the final week. At the end of the intervention, the rats were sacrificed, and their brains were completely removed. Changes in DAT expression were measured using RT-PCR, and Dopamine level were assessed through Western blotting.
Results: The results of the ANOVA statistical test revealed significant differences between the groups for all markers (P = 0.001). The LSD post-hoc test results showed that DAT expression in the withdrawal combined with aerobic exercise and supplementation group significantly increased compared to the control group, while it significantly decreased compared to the withdrawal and supplementation group (P = 0.001 for both comparisons).
Conclusion: Overall, the findings of this study suggest that aerobic exercise combined with NBS supplementation can enhance mono-amine levels more effectively than either intervention alone, aiding in the recovery and normalization of monoamine transporter levels.