OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of endurance exercise training accompanying Rosmarinus officinalis Labiatae (rosemary) leaves extract on lipid peroxidation and antioxidative systems in the blood of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

METHODS

To this end, 50 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: the sedentary control, sedentary diabetic, trained diabetic, diabetic plus rosemary extract treatment and trained diabetic plus rosemary extract treatment groups. Animals in the trained groups were exercised on a treadmill 4 days a week for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, blood samples were taken from all animals and analyzed for erythrocyte superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase activities and malondialdehyde levels.

RESULTS

Compared to the sedentary control group, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase activities in the sedentary diabetic group were significantly lower (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively), whereas erythrocyte malondialdehyde levels in the sedentary diabetic group were significantly higher (p<0.001) than those in the sedentary control group. Due to endurance exercise with rosemary leaf extract, the antioxidant enzyme activities and the malondialdehyde levels in the trained diabetic plus rosemary extract treatment group reached the normal levels of those in the healthy group.

CONCLUSIONS

These data demonstrated that the levels of lipid peroxidation in the erythrocyte of diabetic rats were high, whereas there was a decrease in the basal antioxidant enzyme activities. However, rosemary extract with endurance exercise may attenuate oxidative stress by enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and decreasing lipid peroxidation levels in experimental rats with diabetes.