Physical exercise as a therapeutic strategy in animal models of Alzheimer's disease: Molecular, behavioral, and histopathological evidence
Abstract
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, imposing a substantial economic burden. As the population ages and cases rise, interest in early identification, prevention, and treatment has intensified. After establishing that pathology involves neurofibrillary tangles, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss, interventions have been tested in laboratory animals to slow disease progression. One commonly tested intervention is physical exercise, an economical approach. Laboratory animal models of AD aim to demonstrate how different types and intensities of exercise affect disease pathology. This review aims to categorize and elucidate the mechanisms and their outcomes.
Materials and methods: Original manuscripts concerning the impact of exercise, with or without medicinal intervention, on Alzheimer's dementia progression modeled in laboratory animals from 2020 onwards were included. The routes through which exercise exerts its impact at molecular, behavioral, and histomorphological levels were categorized.
Results: The most frequent modeling approach was Aβ injection into the hippocampus of Wistar rats, followed by Streptozocin and other chemicals, and transgenic models. Exercise mainly consisted of treadmill or swimming. Interventions were categorized into short-, medium-, and long-term protocols, ranging from 3 to 24 weeks, with most at 4 weeks, 30-60 min per session, 5 days/week. Molecular tests primarily measured Reactive Oxygen…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a review, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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