Efeito do exercício de alta intensidade na atividade de enzimas do sistema purinérgico e colinérgico em ratos tratados com cafeína

Abstract

The high intensity exercise produces physiological, neural and cognitive benefits. Caffeine has been considered an important ergogenic resource in exercise, due to its ability to block adenosine receptors. Due to fact the mechanisms related to effect of caffeine on physical exercise has not yet been fully elucidated, in this study we evaluated the effects of caffeine treatment alone or in association with high intensity exercise on the enzymes NTPDase, 5´- nucleotidase, adenosine deaminase (ADA) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in brain of rats. Animals were divided into six groups: I (Control untrained); II (untrained plus caffeine 4 mg/kg); III (untrained plus caffeine 8 mg/kg); IV- (only trained) V- (trained plus caffeine 4 mg/Kg) and VI (trained plus caffeine 8 mg/Kg). Swimming was used as a model of intermittent exercise. Animals were trained three times a week, gradually increasing the workload up to 2.5% of the animal's body weight per week. Caffeine was administered by gavage one hour before the training for 5 days a week. Animals were submitted to a period of six weeks to protocol exercise and caffeine treatment. Results showed no alterations in the ATP (10,14%), ADP (23,2%), AMP (45,89%) hydrolysis and ADA (27,33) activity in synaptossomes of cerebral cortex of trained rats (Grupo IV). However, when trained rats were treated with caffeine we observed a significant increase in the ADP, AMP hydrolysis and ADA activity in synaptosomes of the cerebral cortex (V and VI) when compared to other groups (P<0.05). In relation to the AChE activity, we observed a decrease in the activity of this enzyme in synaptosomes from cerebral cortex in the trained group (IV) and in the animals from the groups V and VI when compared to the control group (P <0.05). Exercise alone did not alter the AChE activity in homogenates from cerebral cortex, striatum, cerebellum or hippocampus (group IV). Group V showed a decrease in the AChE activity in hippocampus and an increase in the activity of this enzyme in striatum and cerebral cortex in relation to control (P<0.05). In the animals from group VI, caffeine increased the AChE activity in cerebral cortex and in cerebellum in relation to other groups (P<0.05). These findings suggest that caffeine modulates the purinergic and cholinergic signaling associated with high intensity exercise.