Negative Effect of High-Calorie High-Salt Diet on Spleen Oxidant/Antioxidants and Structure: Preventive Effects of Sprint Interval Training

We investigated the effect of a high-calorie high-salt diet and sprint interval training on oxidant/antioxidant status and structural changes in the spleen of male Wistar rats. Eighteen male Wistar rats were randomized into three groups: normal diet (ND), high-calorie high-salt diet (HCSD), and HCSD + sprint interval training (HCSD + SIT). Rats in HCSD and HCSD + SIT groups were under a high-calorie high-salt diet. The SIT (4–9 reps of 10s duration sprints) performed 3 sessions/week for 8 weeks. Forty-eight hours after the last training session, the spleen was removed and used for the assessments of oxidant/antioxidant status, and histomorphometric parameters. Results revealed that compared to the ND group, the super oxide dismutase (SOD) activity, the glutathione peroxidase (GPx) level, and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were significantly lower (P < 0.001), and the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly higher in the spleen tissue of the HCSD group (P  0.05), Moreover, there was a significant increase in the red to white pulp ratio and a significant decrease in the number of lymph cells and splenic trabecular volume in the HCSD group (P  0.05). It seems that SIT training may avert HCSD-induced unfavourable changes in the spleen oxidant/antioxidant status and counteract the deleterious effects of the HCSD on the spleen structure.