Effects of Six Weeks of Resistance Training and Curcumin Supplementation on NF-κB, IGF-1, FOXO3a, and Catalase Protein Levels in Skeletal Muscles of Female Rats with Sarcopenia

Soleimani, Shahram; Tofighi, Asghar; Babaei Bonab, Solmaz; Khodaei, Kazem

doi:10.48308/joeppa.2025.241433.1394

Effects of Six Weeks of Resistance Training and Curcumin Supplementation on NF-κB, IGF-1, FOXO3a, and Catalase Protein Levels in Skeletal Muscles of Female Rats with Sarcopenia

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ 0000-0003-4963-2095

² Department of Exercise Physiology and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Urmia University

³ Department of Sports Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, University of Maragheh

10.48308/joeppa.2025.241433.1394

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Sarcopenia, a major consequence of aging and sedentary lifestyle,
leads to reduced skeletal muscle function. Combining exercise interventions with anti-
inflammatory compounds like curcumin may be an effective strategy to mitigate the adverse
effects of sarcopenia. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a period of resistance training
and curcumin supplementation on the protein content of NF-κB, IGF-1, FOXO3a, and catalase in
the soleus muscle of female Wistar rats modeled with sarcopenia.
Materials and methods:
In this experimental study, 40 female Wistar rats with an average age of 12±1 weeks were
injected with dexamethasone for 10 days as an animal model of sarcopenia and randomly
divided into five groups: healthy control (C1), sarcopenic control (C2), resistance training (RT),
curcumin supplementation (CS), and combined resistance training and curcumin
supplementation (RTCS). The resistance training protocol involved ladder climbing at moderate
intensity (60% MVCC), three sessions per week for 6 weeks. The supplementation groups
received curcumin (30 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) three times per week for 6 weeks. Soleus muscle
samples were collected 24 hours before the intervention and immediately after the last training
session. Protein levels of NF-κB, IGF-1, FOXO3a, and catalase were measured using Western
blot. One-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc tests was used for data analysis.
Results: One-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in NF-κB, FOXO3a, catalase, and
IGF-1 protein expression among groups (P≤0.05). In the C2 group compared to the C1 group,
NF-κB and FOXO3a expression significantly increased, while catalase and IGF-1 levels
decreased (P≤0.05). The RT, CS, and RT+CS interventions significantly reduced NF-κB and
FOXO3a expression and increased catalase and IGF-1 levels compared to the C2 group
(P≤0.05). The greatest reduction in NF-κB and FOXO3a and the highest increase in catalase and
IGF-1 were observed in the RT+CS group, where catalase and IGF-1 levels were not
significantly different from those of the C1 group (P≥0.05).
Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that induction of sarcopenia with dexamethasone
increased the expression of NF-κB and FOXO3a proteins and decreased IGF-1 and catalase
levels in muscle. In contrast, resistance training and curcumin consumption each modulated
these changes to some extent, but the combination of the two interventions had a stronger effect,
and the greatest decrease in NF-κB and FOXO3a and the greatest increase in IGF-1 and catalase
were observed in the resistance training group with curcumin consumption, so that the IGF-1 and
catalase levels of this group were not significantly different from the healthy control group.
These results indicate that the combination of resistance training and curcumin in an animal
model of sarcopenia can be effective in modulating inflammatory and catabolic factors and
promoting anabolic and antioxidant indices.

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