Effect of swimming exercise, insulin-associated or not, on inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis, and collagen in diabetic rat placentas.

Physical exercise is an important therapeutic agent for women with diabetes during gestation. However, its histophysiological consequences for the placenta remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated the expression of VEGF-A, IL1ß, TNFα, and type I collagen in the placentas of diabetic rats subjected to a swimming program. Thirty rats were divided into the following groups: CG, pregnant nondiabetic rats; CEG, nondiabetic pregnant rats subjected to swimming; DG, pregnant diabetic rats; DEG, pregnant diabetic rats subjected to swimming; DIG, pregnant diabetic rats treated with insulin; DIEG, pregnant diabetic rats treated with insulin and subjected to swimming. Diabetes was induced using streptozotocin [50 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.)], and insulin was administered at a dose of 5 U/day i.p. (2 U at 10 am and 3 U at 7 pm) in the DIG group; in the DIEG group, insulin was administered at a dose of only 2 U/day at 7 pm. The rats were sacrificed on the 20th day of gestation. There was an increase in the expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, VEGF-A, and type I collagen and a higher apoptotic index in the placentas of the DG and DEG groups, but there was a reduction in glycemia in the latter group. In the DIG and DIEG groups, the levels remained similar to those of the control; however, in these groups the reduction was more significant for all analyzed parameters. Therefore, in rats induced to diabetes during pregnancy, swimming, although reducing glycemic levels, did not prevent immunohistochemical changes in the placenta, suggesting the need for a multidisciplinary protocol associated with traditional pharmacological treatment.