Exercise-induced apoptosis in renal tubular cells of the rat

A number of studies have shown that acute physical exercise is associated with the induction of apoptosis not only in skeletal muscle but also in many distant organs. One of the pathogenic agents responsible for exercise-induced damage in many tissues is the generation of oxygen free radicals. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of exercise-induced oxidative stress on the rat kidney. The analysis was performed on the kidneys of rats subjected to treadmill running until exhaustion. Our results demonstrated that acute exercise led to apoptotic damage of the renal distal tubular cells, although this was not a result of oxidative stress.