Abstract

Introduction: Parkinson's disease is associated with systemic inflammation in the nervous system. Although the role of exercise therapy and antioxidant supplements alone in promoting nervous system health has been demonstrated, their interactive effects are not well understood. Investigating the combined impact of aerobic exercise and garlic supplementation on TNFα levels in Parkinsonian mice is essential because neuroinflammation plays a central role in the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, and evidence indicates that both interventions independently possess anti-inflammatory properties. However, the mechanisms underlying their synergistic effects remain unknown. This study aims to develop cost-effective, accessible non-pharmacological strategies to modulate inflammatory pathways in Parkinson's disease, as reducing TNFα could serve as a preventive and therapeutic approach to slow disease progression and improve patients' quality of life. Therefore, this research was conducted to examine the effects of eight weeks of aerobic exercise combined with garlic supplementation on the gene expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) in the brain tissue of Parkinsonian rats.
Methods: In this experimental study, 24 rats with Parkinson's disease induced by 2 mg/kg reserpine were divided into four groups: (1) Parkinson's control, (2) garlic supplementation, (3) aerobic exercise, and (4) aerobic exercise + garlic supplementation. To assess the effects of Parkinson's induction on TNF-α, six rats were included in a healthy control group. The aerobic exercise groups ran on a treadmill for 15-48 minutes at a speed of 10-24 meters per minute, three times per week for eight weeks. The garlic supplementation groups received 500 mg/kg of aqueous garlic extract orally for eight weeks. Independent t-test, two-way ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc test were used for data analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.
Results: TNF-α levels were significantly higher in the Parkinson's control group compared to the healthy control group (P = 0.001). TNF-α expression in the brain tissue of rats in the exercise (P = 0.04) and supplementation groups (P = 0.003) was significantly lower compared to the control group. Moreover, exercise and garlic supplementation had a synergistic effect on reducing TNF-α in the brain tissue of rats with Parkinson's disease (P = 0.002).
Conclusion: Both aerobic exercise and garlic supplementation, individually and in combination, appear to reduce inflammatory factors in the brain tissue of rats with Parkinson's disease through similar mechanisms.