OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effect of jump training associated with fish oil (FO) supplementation (1g/Kg bodyweight/day) on biochemical parameters of cachexia and tumor growth in Walker 256 tumor-bearing rats.
METHODS:
Eighty rats were divided into sedentary non- and tumor-bearing (S and SW), exercised (EX and EXW), FO supplemented (SO and SWO), and both supplemented and exercised (EXW and EXWO). Jump training sessions consisted of 10 series of 30 seconds each, followed by 1 minute of rest. After six weeks of jump training, ascitic cells from Walker 256 tumor bearing-rat were inoculated, and after 15 days, all the animals were sacrificed.
RESULTS:
The tumor mass in the SW group was 25.32 g, p<0.05 vs the SWO, EXW and EXWO groups (~11 g). The SW group presented hypoglycemia, hyperlactacidemia and hypertriacylglycerolemia and a reduction in body weight (-7.52 ± 3.19g), characterizing a state of cachexia. Supplementation with fish oil (SWO), exercise (EXW) and both (EXWO) prevented the onset of cachexia and promoted weight gain (p<0.05 vs SW), but less than that of the supplementation alone (p<0.05 vs SWO). In vitro cell proliferation of the tumor cells was lower in the SWO group (p<0.05 vs SW) and exercise reduced still further (p<0.05 vs. SW and SWO), with no increase when both therapies were applied together. Lipoperoxidation (p<0.05) was higher in the SWO, EXW, EXWO groups vs. S. Bcl-2 expression was also lower in these groups vs. SW.
CONCLUSIONS:
Jump training and fish oil supplementation alone were able to effectively prevent cachexia and reduce tumor growth, tumor cell proliferation, and Bcl-2 expression, but the combination of both did not promote any additive effect.
exercise; cancer; cachexia; fish oil
