The Preventive Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Doxorubicin-Induced Tissue Toxicity: Histological Evidence of Old and Young Rat Lung Tissue

The toxic effects of Doxorubicin on various tissues from one hand, and the pre-treatment effects of exercise activity before the DOX induction on heart and liver tissues in young rats from other hand have already been recognized, but the pre-treatment effects of exercise on elderly rats, especially in the lung tissue is not well understood. The purpose of the present study was to compare changes in lung tissue following DOX intoxication and the preventive effect of aerobic exercise. 48 young (3 months) and elderly (32 months) male rats were divided into three subgroups: control (307.8, 374.8), DOX (422.368, 430) and DOX + exercise (372.370, 383). Training groups r an on treadmill for three weeks at a speed of 15-17 m/min and a time of 25-39 minutes and five sessions per week.  DOX receiver groups received DOX solution (20 mg / kg) 24 hours after the last exercise. 48 hours after DOX injection, biopsy and descriptive analysis were performed. Histological examination of lung tissue showed inflammation, intercellular edema, vascular congestion, increased vascular wall thickness in DOX induction groups and with more degradation in the elderly groups. Performing aerobic exercise pre-treatment in both groups improved the injuries caused by DOX. The findings showed that induction of DOX caused more damage to the lung tissue of elderly rats than young rats, because the resistance of elderly lung tissue to DOX was lower and pre-treatment with aerobic exercise mitigated the destructive effect of DOX on lung tissue and this healing is more evident in elderly lungs.