The Effect of Intake Duration of Curcumin Supplementation along with HIIT on Antioxidant Balance of Skeletal Muscle, Heart, and Liver in Male Rats

  Oxidative stress in different organs is the main challenge for athletes who undergo strenuous training. This study investigated the effect of curcumin supplementation along with HIIT on the antioxidant balance of skeletal muscle, heart, and liver in male Wistar rats.

Forty two male Wistar rats aged six-eight weeks, after one week familiarization period, were randomly divided into 6 groups; Control, Curcumin, 48hrs Curcumin, HIIT, HIIT+Curcumin, and HIIT+48hrs Curcumin. HIIT training (8 weeks, 5 sessions a week) carried out on a rodent treadmill. Curcumin supplement (30 mg/kg.BW) injected Intraperitoneally (eight weeks, three times a week; or last 48 hours, every 8 hours) in the supplemented groups. GPX activity was measured by Elisa Kit and the MDA level was assessed by spectrophotometric method.

One-way ANOVA results showed that GPX activity of the HIIT group in skeletal muscle, heart, and liver were significantly (P<0.05) lower, and MDA levels of the heart were significantly (P=0.001) higher than the control group. Also, GPX activity of skeletal muscle (P=0.001), heart (P=0.004), and liver (P=0.029) in the HIIT+curcumin and HIIT+48hrs curcumin group of the heart (P=0.008) were significantly higher than HIIT group. MDA levels of heart in the HIIT+curcumin (p=0.001) and HIIT+48hrs curcumin (P=0.001) groups were significantly lower than the HIIT group.

In spite of different oxidative stress responses of tissues to the HIIT training, curcumin supplementation during the last 48 hours of strenuous HIIT, as well as during eight weeks, could prevent oxidative stress, and improves antioxidant capacity.