Moderate aerobic exercise on the recovery phase of gentamicin-induced acute kidney injury in rats

IntroductionAcute kidney injury is a serious public health problem, especially in intensive care units, where patients may require dialysis support, resulting in 50% mortality.AimTo evaluate the effects of moderate aerobic exercise on the recovery phase of acute kidney injury induced by gentamicin in rats.Main methodsMale adult Wistar rats were allocated into 4 groups: W10 + R30, G10 + R30, W10 + EX30 and G10 + EX30; W10 received water (gentamicin vehicle) and G10 received gentamicin for 10 days; R30 remained resting and EX30 made exercise for 30 days after gentamicin suspension. Training was performed on treadmill. Blood, 24 h urine and kidneys were collected for renal function and oxidative stress, antioxidant, TGF-β and histological analysis.Key findingsGentamicin treatment caused decreased renal function significant oxidative stress, reduced urinary nitric oxide and increased TGF-β. G10 + R30 presented partial recovery of metabolic data, renal function and lipoperoxidation levels, although they were still altered compared to W10 + R30. Besides, we observed the presence of lymphomononuclear infiltrate in the kidneys of G10 + R30. G10 + EX30 vs G10 + R30 showed additional improvement of all the mentioned parameters, showing at histology, regeneration of the tubule epithelium.SignificanceOur data suggest that moderate exercises could help in the recovery of metabolic parameters, renal function and structure on gentamicin-induced AKI, perhaps due to restoration of redox balance. This could protect the kidneys from further insults like challenges with nephrotoxic drugs or the aging per se.