Received May 12, 2006
Revised June 6, 2006
Accepted after revision June 6, 2006

¹ Marmara University School of Medicine

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: byegen{at}marmara.edu.tr.

	Abstract

Epidemiological studies have shown that exercise protects the gastrointestinal tract, reducing the risk of diverticulosis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage and inflammatory bowel disease, while many digestive complaints occurring during exercise are attributed to the adverse effects of exercise on the colon. In order to assess the effects of regular exercise on the colitis pathogenesis, Sprague Dawley rats of both sexes were either kept sedentary or had exercise on a running wheel (7 m/min, 30 min for 3 days/week). At the end of 6 weeks, under anesthesia, either saline or acetic acid (4 %, 1 ml) was given intracolonically. Holeboard tests were performed for the evaluation of anxiety at 24 h before and 48 h after colitis induction. Increased freezing time in colitis-induced sedentary group, representing increased anxiety, was reduced in the exercised colitis group (p<0.05). On the 3rd day of the colonic instillation, the rats were decapitated and distal 8 cm of the colons were removed. In the sedentary colitis group, macroscopic and microscopic damage scores, malondialdehyde level and myeloperoxidase activity were increased when compared to the control group (p<0.05-0.001), while exercise prior to colitis reduced all the measurements (p<0.05-0.001). The results demonstrate that a low intensity, repetitive exercise protects against oxidative colonic injury, which appears to involve the anxiolytic effect of exercise, suggesting that exercise may have a therapeutic value in reducing stress-related exacerbations of colitis.

Key Words: Colon, Exercise, Rat