Nvestigation of brain derived neurotrophic factor and preptin level in the liver and heart tissue of curcumin supplementation in treadmill exercised rats

This study aims to investigate the effects of curcumin supplementation on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and preptin levels in liver and heart tissue in rats subjected to long-term treadmill exercise. In this context, it is important to understand the synergistic and independent effects of exercise and curcumin on these parameters to evaluate their potential contribution to neurological and metabolic health. In the study, a total of 32 male Wistar-Albino rats were divided into four groups and 8 rats were kept in each group. The groups were control, exercise, curcumin and exercise+curcumin. The exercise protocol was performed on a treadmill for 30 minutes three days a week for eight weeks. Curcumin groups received 200 mg/kg/day curcumin by gavage method. Liver and heart tissues were collected at the end of the experiment and BDNF and preptin levels were analysed. The data obtained were compared statistically and the differences between the groups were evaluated. The findings show that exercise and curcumin administration increased BDNF levels in both liver and heart tissue compared to the control group. The highest BDNF increase was observed in the curcumin-supplemented exercise group. This finding suggests that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin may contribute to the promotion of neuroprotection when combined with exercise. When preptin levels were analysed, it was determined that exercise tended to increase preptin levels, but curcumin supplementation balanced this increase. This regulatory effect of curcumin suggests potential beneficial effects on conditions such as insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. In conclusion, our study characterised the effects of treadmill exercise and curcumin supplementation on BDNF and preptin levels in liver and heart tissue. The findings suggest that curcumin may have a synergistic effect when administered in combination with exercise, favourably affecting both neurological and metabolic balance. These results emphasise that the combination of curcumin and exercise is an area that should be further investigated in future research in terms of neuroprotection and metabolic health.