The interactive effects of different exercises and hawthorn consumption on the pain threshold of TMT-induced Alzheimer male rats

TL;DR

This study shows that combining exercise and hawthorn extract can significantly increase pain thresholds in male rats with Alzheimer's disease.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel combination of exercise and hawthorn to modulate pain in Alzheimer's rats.

Findings

Alzheimer's disease reduced the pain threshold in all three behavioral tests.

Combined exercise and hawthorn had the most significant effect on increasing pain threshold.

The combination may help manage hyperalgesia in Alzheimer's rats.

Abstract

Exercise increases the pain threshold in healthy people. However, the pain threshold modulation effect of exercise and hawthorn is unclear because of its potential benefits in people with persistent pain, including those with Alzheimer's disease. Accordingly, after the induction of Alzheimer's disease by trimethyl chloride, male rats with Alzheimer's disease were subjected to a 12-week training regimen consisting of resistance training, swimming endurance exercises, and combined exercises. In addition, hawthorn extract was orally administered to the rats. Then, their pain threshold was evaluated using three Tail-flick, Hot-plate, and Formalin tests. Our results showed that Alzheimer's decreased the pain threshold in all three behavioral tests. Combined exercise with hawthorn consumption had the most statistically significant effect on Alzheimer's male rats' pain threshold in all three experiments. A combination of swimming endurance and resistance exercises with hawthorn consumption may modulate hyperalgesia in Alzheimer's rats. Future studies need to determine the effects of these factors on the treatment and/or management of painful conditions.

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