Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation and/or Physical Training on Cigarette Smoke Induced COPD in Rats
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- Category: Vol. 81, December 2013
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Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation and/or Physical Training on Cigarette Smoke Induced COPD in Rats, NASHWA ELTABLAWY, SAMAH ELATTAR and ZIENAB ABDEL WAHAB
Abstract
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health problem with increasing morbidity and mortality. Vitamin D deficiency has been established as exceedingly prevalent in many of chronic lung disease popu-lations and exercise training in COPD patients results in positive effects in dyspnea and exercise tolerance.
Aim of Work: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation and/or physical training on pulmonary functions, lung inflammation, antimicrobial production and matrix degradation in a rat model of COPD.
Methodology: Forty male Albino rats were used in this study and divided into 5 groups, 8 rats each: Group1: Control group, Group 2: (COPD group): COPD rats maintained un-treated for the experimental period, Group 3: (Vit. D+COPD): COPD rats were treated with vitamin D injection 1, 25 (OH) D3 was administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) at dose 0.5μg/kg of body weight (BW), 3 times a week for 8 weeks, Group 4: (COPD+ Exercise): COPD rats performed daily exercise program and group 5: (COPD+Vit D+exercise) COPD rats treated with vitamin D injection (i.p.) at a dose of 0.5μg/kg, 3 times a week for 8 weeks and performed daily exercise program. After 8 weeks of treatment, pulmonary functions were tested and blood samples were withdrawn for measuring vitamin D and Ca2+ levels and the lung tissues were excised to measure interleukin 12 (IL12), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and cathelicidin.
Results: Peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced vital capacity (FVC), vitamin D and Ca2+ were significantly reduced in COPD rats after 12 weeks of exposure to cigarette smoke. Vitamin D supplementation and swimming training for 8 weeks improved PEF, FVC, vitamin D and Ca2+ significantly as compared to untreated COPD. Combined vitamin D treat-ment and physical training significantly improved FVC level as compared with each treatment separately. The improvement was associated with significant reduction in inflammatory markers and MMP-9 as compared to COPD untreated rats. The antimicrobial cathelicidin was significantly increased in COPD rats and was further increased on vitamin D treatment but not with exercise training.
Conclusion: Our results showed that COPD is an inflam-matory disease and it is associated with vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D supplement or rehabilitation by physical training each separately improved the pulmonary functions, reduced inflammation, and attenuate lung parenchymal degradation. Vitamin D in addition induced an antimicrobial protection, however vitamin D supplement had a slightly better effects as compared with exercise training. Combination of both vitamin D supplementation and exercise training had a syner-gistic effect and produced a significant improvement as compared to each therapy separately. We can conclude that vitamin D supplement has a beneficial effects as a therapy in cases of COPD and it is better added to rehabilitation training programs for better results.