Changes in monocarboxylate transporter 1 and p53 gene expression by aerobic interval training in the experimental colon carcinoma of mouse

Background: Recent evidence suggests that regular exercise training is effective in treating various aspects of cancer. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of 8 weeks of aerobic interval training on monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) protein and expression of p53 gene in tumor of colon cancer mice. Methods: The present study was conducted experimentally from May to October 2014 at the Exercise Physiology Research Center of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Twenty BALB/c mice of age 3 weekly with a mean weight of 17.6±1.4 grams were selected and randomly divided into 4 groups: control (N=5), interval training (N=5), colon tumor (N=5) and interval training+colon tumor (N=5). The cancer was induced by subcutaneous injection of a carcinogenic azoxymethane (10 mg/kg) once a week for three weeks, and aerobic exercise was performed with rodent treadmill for 8 weeks and 5 days a week. Forty-eight hours after the last training session, the mice were cleared and colon removed. Measurement of MCT1 protein was performed by ELISA and commercial kits (ZellBio, Germany). Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to determine the relative expression of p53 gene. Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: The results showed a significant increase in MCT1 protein (P< 0.01) and significant reductions in p53 gene expression (P< 0.001) in a colon tumor group compared to other groups. Also, there was a significant decrease in the level of MCT1 protein (P< 0.01) and significant increase in p53 gene expression (P< 0.001) in the exercise training group and exercise training+colon tumor group compared to control group and the tumor group was observed. Conclusion: The findings of the study showed that aerobic interval training reduced the protein content of MCT1 and increased the expression of p53 gene (as a tumor inhibitor) in the tumor of colon cancer mice. These factors are portions of the mechanisms involved in cancer cell metabolism by which aerobic interval training shows part of its therapeutic effect in colon cancer.