Effects of moderate physical exercise upon intracellular trafficking of neurotrophins and their receptors in the central nervous system of aged rats

Abstract

Practicing physical activity may protect against cognitive deficits related to ageing. Moderate exercise attenuates the effects of ageing upon central nervous system by increasing angiogenesis and oxygen saturation, ameliorating the efficiency of neurotransmission and metabolism, decreasing inflammation, protecting against encephalic mass loss, as well as increasing the expression of neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes the ramification of dendritic branches improving synaptic machinery of adult brain. It is well known that there is intra and extracellular protein accumulation in the senile brain, however, the causes and effects of these inclusions on cellular physiology remains controversial. In view of this, the aim of the present study is to evaluate intracellular trafficking of neurotrophins and their receptors before protein aggregation in spinal cord, hippocampus and substantia nigra of aged rats submitted to treadmill. Those rats will be also exposed to rotenone, which promotes increase in oxidative stress and protein aggregation, characteristics of ageing and neurodegeneration. Western Blot technique will be employed to analyze the expression of proteins involved in anterograde trafficking of BDNF, nerve growth factor (NGF) and their receptors (TrkA and TrkB) such as: Rab27, CRMP-2, Slp1, HAP-1 and sortilin; as well as pincher and Rab5 that are involved in retrograde trafficking of these neurotrophins/receptors. (AU)