Background & Aims: Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline antibiotic that is widely used as an anticancer agent. However, the clinical use of DOX is limited due to its toxic side effects upon non-target tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of 6 weeks of aerobic training on dox-induced toxicity in rat tissues (heart and liver).

 Materials & Methods: This study was conducted on thirty-two Wistar male rats randomly assigned to 1.control+salin, 2. control+DOX, 3. training+salin, 4) training+DOX groups. Groups 3 and 4 were trained on treadmill between 25 to 54 min/day and 15 to 20 m/min, 5 days/week for 6 weeks. The groups 2, 4 and groups 1, 3 received DOX (20 mg.kg^-1 i.p) and saline (0.9% NaCl i.p), respectively. Animals were sacrificed 24 h after DOX and saline injections. Also, heart and liver tissue homogenization and assay parameters were performed.

 Results: Doxorubicin administration cause a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and a significant decrease in the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in heart and liver tissues however, the difference was not significant between the two tissues. Although the 6-week aerobic training+DOX caused a down-regulation of oxidant markers and up-regulation of the SOD activity in heart and liver tissues, but only changes of the SOD activity was significant between the heart and liver tissues.

 Conclusion: Our study suggests that cardiac/liver protection induced by chronically exercise in DOX treated rats is associated with inhibition of oxidative stress and increase in the antioxidant defense levels.

  SOURCE: URMIA MED J 2014: 25(4): 362 ISSN: 1027-3727