Comparison of the Effects of Barberry and Saffron Extracts Combined with a Period of Endurance Physical Activity on POMC and MC4R Genes in Female Wistar Rats Addicted to Methamphetamine

Subject Areas : Journal of Animal Biology

Daniel Hakkak ¹ , Rambod Khajaei ² , Sayyed-Javad Ziaolhagh ^{3 *} , Akbar Safipour-Afshar ⁴

1 - Department of Sports Sciences, Neyshabur Branch, Islamic Azad University, Neyshabur, Iran
2 - Department of Sports Sciences, Neyshabur Branch, Islamic Azad University, Neyshabur, Iran
3 - Department of Sports Science, Shahroud Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahroud, Iran
4 - Department of Biology, Neyshabur Branch, Islamic Azad University, Neyshabur, Iran

Received: 2025-02-16 Accepted : 2025-04-20 Published : 2025-06-18

Keywords: Methamphetamine, Berberine Hydrochloride, Crocin, Aerobic Exercise, Pro-opiomelanocortin, Melanocortin-4 Receptor,

Abstract :

Methamphetamine is a potent central nervous system stimulant that directly affects brain function, causing significant changes in feeding patterns and appetite regulation. Given the extensive side effects of this substance, the use of alternative interventions such as herbal remedies and exercise has been considered as harm reduction strategies. In this study, 30 female Wistar rats were divided into seven groups of six: healthy control, methamphetamine, methamphetamine + aerobic exercise, methamphetamine + berberine (barberry extract), methamphetamine + exercise + berberine, methamphetamine + crocin (saffron extract), and methamphetamine + exercise + crocin. Methamphetamine was injected intraperitoneally at an initial dose of 10 and then 40 mg/kg six days a week. Berberine hydrochloride (100 mg/kg) was administered via drinking water, and crocin was administered in a similar manner. Aerobic exercise consisted of treadmill running at a speed of 25 m/min for 30 minutes, six days a week, for four weeks. After the intervention, the expression of POMC and MC4R genes in hypothalamic tissue was examined using the relative fold change method. The results showed that methamphetamine use increased the expression of POMC (166%) and MC4R (42%). Berberine caused a greater decrease in the expression of both POMC (47% vs. 14%) and MC4R (47% vs. 29%) genes than crocin. Aerobic exercise also had a similar effect. The combination of berberine + exercise showed the greatest reduction in POMC (50%) and the combination of crocin + exercise showed the greatest reduction in MC4R (76%). These results show the effective role of herbal and exercise interventions in inhibiting the neurochemical consequences of methamphetamine.

 

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