Protective Effect of Hesperidin on the Oxidative Stress Induced by an Exhausting Exercise in Intensively Trained Rats

Abstract

Intensive exercise can lead to oxidative stress, which can be particularly deleterious for lymphoid tissues. Hesperidin has demonstrated its antioxidant activity, but few studies focus on its influence on intensive training. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of hesperidin on the oxidant/antioxidant status of lymphoid tissues after an intensive training program. Wistar rats were trained for five weeks (five days per week), including two exhaustion tests plus three trainings per week. During this period, animals were orally administrated with 200 mg/kg of hesperidin or vehicle (three days per week). The oxidative status was determined before, immediately after and 24 h after an additional exhaustion test. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by peritoneal macrophages, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities in spleen, thymus and liver, and hepatic glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx) were assessed. Hesperidin prevented an increase in ROS production induced by the additional exhaustion test. Likewise, hesperidin avoided a decrease in SOD and catalase activities in the thymus and spleen that was found after the additional exhaustion test. The antioxidant effects of hesperidin were associated with a higher performance in the assessed training model. These results suggest that hesperidin, acting as an antioxidant, can prevent oxidative stress induced by exercise and improve exercise performance.

Alterations in the innate immune system due to exhausting exercise in intensively trained rats

“…The enhanced phagocytosis after an exhausting exercise has been related to the influence of glucocorticoids or catecholamines boosting the macrophage function 23 , and can be seen in the upregulation of the surface receptors 54 as well as by increased cytokine secretion 55,56 . In this regard, immediately after the final exhaustion test, we observed a higher ROS production by macrophages, a result that is in line with previous studies showing oxidative stress in a similar training 41 . Moreover, there was an increase in macrophage IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-12, MCP-1 secretion, which was mainly reduced in the T group whereas IFN-γ and IL-10 release decreased.…”

“…However, the distance on the Friday of week 5 was lower than that of week 2, which, together with the lower distance achieved in the additional final exhaustion test compared with those from the short intensive training, evidenced a decline in physical performance possibly due to intensive training. This procedure was previously demonstrated to increase oxidative stress in lymphoid tissues 41 . With regard to changes in the innate immune functionality, although the first experimental design programme included 2 weeks of intensive training, comprising running twice a day (30 min/session for 5 days per week), it was not able to modify the analysed innate immune functions when assessed immediately after the final exhaustion test.…”

“…These young rats, also used by other authors 36,70 , were chosen because they would be adults by the end of the training programme. In addition, previous experiments with nutritional interventions were carried out at this age 41 , a period which is sensitive to the immune system enhancement 71 . Animals were housed in the animal facilities of the Faculty of Biology (UB) in polycarbonate cages (2-3 rats per cage) in a controlled environment of temperature and humidity, in a 12/12 h light/dark cycle.…”

“…peritoneal macrophage isolation and stimulation. Peritoneal macrophages were obtained as previously performed 41 . Briefly, after having injected 40 mL of cold phosphate-buffered saline into the peritoneal cavity and after 2 min of abdominal massage, the peritoneal cells were collected.…”

A comprehensive study of eriocitrin metabolism in vivo and in vitro based on an efficient UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS strategy

“…38 M19b, namely, hesperidin, a type of citrus bioavonoid distributed in foods including grapefruits, oranges and lemons, has many pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-depression and antitumour activities. [39][40][41] Overall, the identication of metabolites of eriocitrin provides a basis for new pharmacological studies, and these metabolites will be further explored in the future.…”