Effect of resistance training with and without vitamin D calcium chitosan nanoparticle supplements on apoptosis markers in ovariectomized rats: An experimental study

Hormone therapy is one of the most effective treatments for menopausal disorders, but it may increase the risk of breast cancer, coronary heart disease, and pulmonary embolism.

The present study investigated the effect of resistance training with and without vitamin D calcium (Ca++) chitosan nanoparticles on apoptosis markers in ovariectomized rats.

42 female Wistar rats were divided into 7 groups (n = 6/each). One group was assigned as the healthy control to show the induction of menopause. The other 6 groups comprised ovariectomized (OVX) animals including: 1) vitamin D + calcium + chitosan + resistance training, 2) saline + estrogen + resistance training, 3) saline + resistance training, 4) vitamin D + calcium + chitosan, 5) saline + estrogen, and 6) OVX + control. 48 hr after the last intervention, the hippocampus tissue was extracted to measure the BCL-2-associated X (BAX), B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), and caspase-3 gene expression as well as the percentage of dead cells.

OVX rats demonstrated increased BAX gene expression, the ratio of BAX gene expression to BCL-2, caspase-3 gene expression, and percentage of dead cells of hippocampal tissue, but decreased BCL-2 gene expression. Resistance training and vitamin D Ca++ chitosan nanoparticle supplements seemed to reverse these changes.

The combination of resistance training and vitamin D Ca++ chitosan nanoparticle supplements may be considered a non-pharmacological treatment for OVX-induced apoptosis.