Treadmill exercise in obese maternal rats during pregnancy improves spatial memory through activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway in the hippocampus of rat pups

Young Jun Ko; Bo-Kyun Kim; Eun-Sang Ji

doi:10.12965/jer.2040822.411

Treadmill exercise in obese maternal rats during pregnancy improves spatial memory through activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway in the hippocampus of rat pups

J Exerc Rehabil. 2020 Dec 28;16(6):483-488. doi: 10.12965/jer.2040822.411. eCollection 2020 Dec.

Authors

Young Jun Ko¹, Bo-Kyun Kim², Eun-Sang Ji^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Major in Sport Service Practice, College of Welfare Convergence, Kangnam University, Yongin, Korea.
² Department of Emergency Technology, College of Health Science, Gachon University, Incheon, Korea.
³ Department of Sport & Health Care, College of Art & Culture, Sangmyung University, Seoul, Korea.
⁴ Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Maternal nutrition is necessary for the growth of the fetus, and excessive intake of nutrients interferes with brain development in offspring. In the current study, the effect of treadmill running during pregnancy in obese maternal rats on spatial learning memory and spatial working memory in rat pups was investigated. Phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) was also identified in rat pups. Female rats were divided into the normal diet group and the high-fat diet group for 7 weeks, including pregnancy and lactation. Maternal treadmill running was performed for 4 weeks. The born rat pups were classified into a control group, a treadmill exercise group, a high-fat diet group, a high-fat diet and treadmill exercise group according to the status of maternal rats. Radial 8-arm maze task for spatial learning memory and Morris water maze task for spatial working memory were done. Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the expressions of PI3K, Akt, ERK1/2. In the current results, maternal treadmill running during pregnancy improved spatial learning memory and spatial working memory in rat pups born to obese maternal rats. This improving effect of memory was due to the enhanced phosphorylation of PI3K, Akt, and ERK1/2 by treadmill running.

Keywords: Maternal obesity; PI3K; Pregnancy; Rat pups; Treadmill exercise.