Iranian Journal of

Background: Glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta is a key regulator of many signaling pathways. It is reported that Inhibition of this kinase results neuronal survival. Accordingly in this study we investigated the effect of endurance training on the gene expression of GSK-3β in the sensory areas of the spinal cord of male Wistar rats with diabetic neuropathy.

Methods: we randomly assigned 16 male Wistar rats into four groups: healthy control, healthy trained, neuropathy control, neuropathy trained. Intraperitoneal injection of a STZ (streptozotocin) solution (45 mg/kg) was used to induce diabetes. At two weeks after STZ injections, the mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia tests demonstrated the presence of diabetic neuropathy. A moderate endurance training protocol was performed for a six- week period. At 24 hours after the final training session, the rats were sacrificed and the L4-L6 sensory neurons of the spinal cord tissue were removed. GSK-3β mRNA expression was performed using real time-PCR.

Results: Statistical analysis shows that neuropathy trained experiences a decrease in gene expression in comparison to neuropathy control (P=0.02). On the other there was significant difference between healthy control and neuropathy control (P=0.02). However, there was no significant difference between healthy control and neuropathy trained.

Conclusion: we claim that endurance training will effectively decrease the expression of GSK-3β in the sensory areas of spinal cord of male Wistar rats with diabetic neuropathy. Endurance training as a non- pharmacotherapy strategy can modulate and return GSK-3β to approximate normal levels.