@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2252-0805    The Horizon of Medical Sciences 2014;20(3):179-184

Background
Consisting of psychological and behavioral characteristics, anxiety is followed by different behavioral responses such as vibration, effects on the memory, and aggression [1-4]. … [5, 6] Progesterone is known as making anxiety, as well as anti-anxiety [7, 8]. Low progesterone leads to the immobility of rats in FST that shows an anxiety behavior [9]. … [10-13] There is a reduction in anxiety in people who run up to fatigue [14]. Anxiety response to sport is also depends to persons’ anxiety level before sport. In addition, relaxation time after exercise affects anxiety [15].
Previous Studies
Especially in women, relatively high severe sport activity leads to anxiety reduction [16]. … [17] There is a correlation between mobile activity and sex hormones in women. In addition, mobile activity can change steroid hormones level in the adult women that leads to unstable psychological situation [18, 19].
Aim(s)
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sport and pharmacologic dose of progesterone sex hormone on anxiety in the ovariectomized adult female rats.
Research type
This is an experimental study.
Research society, place and time
Wistar adult female rats, weighted approximately 200±20g and bought from Center of Proliferation of the Laboratory Animals of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz (Iran), were studied.
Sampling method and number
40 rats were studied.
Used devices&materials
The rats were kept in special plexiglas cages in 24±2°C and 12-hour light/darkness cycle with especial food and enough water. The rats having been anaesthetized, they were ovariectomized. The rats were randomly divided into 5 eight-rat groups, including “control group” (with no treatment), “receiving sesame oil as progesterone solvent” (Abouraihan Pharmaciotical Co.; Iran), “progesterone group” (8mg per kg body weight), and “progesterone+sport group” [20]. Treadmill for rats was used to mobile activity [21]. The rats underwent 20m/min average speed exercises lasting 40min. Rats, not entered in the exercises, were excluded. The elevated plus maze device was used in the behavioral tests. The plus-shaped device has four 10×50cm arms, 2 open and 2 enclosed. Half an hour after intra-peritoneal injection of the solvent or progesterone or before sport activity, each animal was individually put against an open arm on the central square one time and for 5 min. Then, the anxiety behaviors, including percent of times of entry into the open arm ((Times of Entry into the Open Arm/Total Entries into the Arms) ×100) and percent of the presence length in the open arm ((Presence Length in the Open Arm/Total Presence Length in the Arms) ×100), were computed. Assessment of times of entry into the enclosed arms is the index for mobile activity of the animal [22]. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16 software, One-way ANOVA and Post Hoc Tukey test. … [23]
Findings by Text
There was no significant difference between treatment groups and control group in the mobile activity counting times of entry into the enclosed arms. There was a significant reduction in percent of times of entry into the open arms due to progesterone (8mg/kg) compared to control group. However, there was no significant difference in other groups. There was a significant reduction in the presence length in the open arms due to progesterone injection than control group. Exercises before progesterone injection hindered the reductive effect of progesterone. Sesame oil injection either solely or with exercises did not affect anxiety (Diagram 1).
Main comparison to the similar studies

Suggestions

Limitations

Conclusions

Acknowledgments

Conflict of interest

Ethical Permissions

Funding Sources

Background
Consisting of psychological and behavioral characteristics, anxiety is followed by different behavioral responses such as vibration, effects on the memory, and aggression [1-4]. … [5, 6] Progesterone is known as making anxiety, as well as anti-anxiety [7, 8]. Low progesterone leads to the immobility of rats in FST that shows an anxiety behavior [9]. … [10-13] There is a reduction in anxiety in people who run up to fatigue [14]. Anxiety response to sport is also depends to persons’ anxiety level before sport. In addition, relaxation time after exercise affects anxiety [15].
Previous Studies
Especially in women, relatively high severe sport activity leads to anxiety reduction [16]. … [17] There is a correlation between mobile activity and sex hormones in women. In addition, mobile activity can change steroid hormones level in the adult women that leads to unstable psychological situation [18, 19].
Aim(s)
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sport and pharmacologic dose of progesterone sex hormone on anxiety in the ovariectomized adult female rats.
Research type
This is an experimental study.
Research society, place and time
Wistar adult female rats, weighted approximately 200±20g and bought from Center of Proliferation of the Laboratory Animals of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz (Iran), were studied.
Sampling method and number
40 rats were studied.
Used devices&materials
The rats were kept in special plexiglas cages in 24±2°C and 12-hour light/darkness cycle with especial food and enough water. The rats having been anaesthetized, they were ovariectomized. The rats were randomly divided into 5 eight-rat groups, including “control group” (with no treatment), “receiving sesame oil as progesterone solvent” (Abouraihan Pharmaciotical Co.; Iran), “progesterone group” (8mg per kg body weight), and “progesterone+sport group” [20]. Treadmill for rats was used to mobile activity [21]. The rats underwent 20m/min average speed exercises lasting 40min. Rats, not entered in the exercises, were excluded. The elevated plus maze device was used in the behavioral tests. The plus-shaped device has four 10×50cm arms, 2 open and 2 enclosed. Half an hour after intra-peritoneal injection of the solvent or progesterone or before sport activity, each animal was individually put against an open arm on the central square one time and for 5 min. Then, the anxiety behaviors, including percent of times of entry into the open arm ((Times of Entry into the Open Arm/Total Entries into the Arms) ×100) and percent of the presence length in the open arm ((Presence Length in the Open Arm/Total Presence Length in the Arms) ×100), were computed. Assessment of times of entry into the enclosed arms is the index for mobile activity of the animal [22]. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16 software, One-way ANOVA and Post Hoc Tukey test. … [23]
Findings by Text
There was no significant difference between treatment groups and control group in the mobile activity counting times of entry into the enclosed arms. There was a significant reduction in percent of times of entry into the open arms due to progesterone (8mg/kg) compared to control group. However, there was no significant difference in other groups. There was a significant reduction in the presence length in the open arms due to progesterone injection than control group. Exercises before progesterone injection hindered the reductive effect of progesterone. Sesame oil injection either solely or with exercises did not affect anxiety (Diagram 1).
Main comparison to the similar studies
There was a significant decrease in the percent of entry times into and times of presence in the open arms due to 8mg/kg progesterone injection than control group. There is an obvious anxiety increase in the ovariectomized rats due to progesterone and the nuclear receptor manifestly leads to the behavioral effect. In addition, there is a powerful correlation between the numbers of progesterone receptors in different brain construction and the anxiety level [24]. There are changes in the activities of the anxiety-related areas, such as pre-optic area and hypothalamus breast objects, wall-hippocampus region, and the periaqueductal gray area, due to progesterone injection and the steroid classical or subtype receptors mediate the function [24, 25]. There are anti-anxiety effects in the female rats due to ICV injection of progesterone metabolites including allopregnanolone and pregenenolone [25]. Long term behavioral effects of ovariectomy in the adult rats (age 6 months) have been assessed and an important decrease in the resting time in the open arms has been reported [26]. The results of both last-mentioned studies are contrary to the results of the present study. … [27-36] Sport, alone, did not affect anxiety. Positive or negative effects or no effect of sport on anxiety have been reported [37-40]. The effect of sport on anxiety is multi-factor and it is affected by the severity of sport, resting time after sport, and anxiety level before sport [41, 42]. The exercises inhibited the anxiety effect of progesterone. Relatively severe exercises are more effective on anxiety and stress reduction, especially in women [43]. … [44-47]
Suggestions
In the future studies, different doses of progesterone should be used and changes in the concentrations of different neural neurotransmitters related to anxiety should be assessed.
Limitations
The utilization of single dose of progesterone and lack of comparison between the concentrations of neural neurotransmitters were of the present study limitations.
Conclusions
Pharmacologic measures of progesterone treatment increase anxiety. The effect can be reduced by physical activity.
Acknowledgments
The researchers appreciate Research Deputy of Shaid Chamran University of Ahvaz.
Conflict of interest
Non-declared
Ethical Permissions
All procedures were approved by Ethics Committee of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz.
Funding Sources
The study was funded by Research Deputy of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz.

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