Long-term effects of pre and post-ischemic exercise following global cerebral ischemia on astrocyte and microglia functions in hippocampus from Wistar rats

Persistent effects of pre- and postischemic exercise on glial cells activation after global cerebral ischemia remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effect of both pre and postischemic treadmill exercise protocols (20 min/day during 2 weeks) on glial cells immunostaining in the hippocampus of Wistar rats submitted to global ischemia. A synergistic effect between ischemia and postischemic exercise on the astrocytic area was demonstrated. Postischemic exercise partially reversed the ischemia-induced increase on the area occupied by microglia, without any effect of pre-ischemic protocol. In conclusion, postischemic exercise distinctly modulates astrocyte and microglia immunostaining in the hippocampal dentate gyrus following global cerebral ischemia in Wistar rats.