Effect of 12-week Aerobic Exercise on the Tumor Size and Expression of HIF-1α, BCL-2, Mir-15a, and VEGF Genes in BALB/C Female Mice with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Angiogenesis and mortality are associated with breast cancer, one of the most common tumors in women. Tumor angiogenesis is affected by exercise. This study examined the effects of 12 weeks of exercise on HIF-1α, mir-15a, BCL-2, and VEGF gene expression in BALB/c female mice. Forty BALB/c (two week’s age) female mice with a mean weight of 17±0.21g were separated into control and treadmill aerobic training groups. Mice developed malignant after receiving 200μL of MC₄-L₂ cells subcutaneously. Running at 15-20m min^-1 for 10 weeks was the aerobic activity. Afterward, mice were killed and tumor tissue RNA was extracted. HIF-1α, mir-15a, and VEGF gene expression in BALB/c female mice were measured using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). After 12 weeks of exercise, miR-15a expression rose 2.6 fold, whereas HIF-1α, Bcl-2, and VEGF gene expression dropped 3.1, 2.6, and 2.4 fold, respectively (p<0.05). Exercise can activate pathways that slow breast cancer progression. More research is needed to confirm these findings and other molecular pathways.