Obesity Development in Rats Exposed to Traffic-Induced Air Pollution and Forced Exercise

Abstract

Background The World Health Organization ranks air pollution and obesity among the top ten threats to human health. Recently, emerging evidence suggests that exposure to ambient air pollution may be linked to the development of obesity. Aim The aim of this study is to provide scientific evidence for the investigation of obesity development in rats exposed to traffic-induced air pollution and forced exercise. Methods Written permission was obtained from the Local Ethics Committee for Animal Experiments to conduct the study. The experimental setup was created to represent a realistic exposure as much as possible to create traffic-induced air pollution. Furthermore, a treadmill suitable for six rats to run comfortably at a time was provided. The study was conducted as a randomized controlled experimental research design. 48 healthy Wistar Albino female rats aged 10–12 weeks and weighing 180–195 g were used in the study. The rats were randomly divided into six groups (Control group, EG (4 hours), EG (2 hours), E (30 min), EG (4 hours) + E (30 min), EG (2 hours) + E (30 min)), each with eight rats. The average feed intake of each group was recorded daily during the experimental treatments. Each week, body weights were recorded using a precision weighing scale, and height was recorded by measuring the distance between the nose and anus. After the experimental treatments (60th day), all rats were injected with 90 mg/kg ketamine i.p. and sacrificed. Abdominal fat was isolated, and BMI was calculated. Results At the end of the experiment, it was detected that there was a significant increase in body weights, feed consumption, BMI, Lee index, and VAI in the groups exposed only to exhaust gas compared to the control group (p < 0.001), and a significant decrease in body weights, BMI, Lee index and VAI in the groups that were forced to exercise after exhaust gas exposure compared to the groups exposed only to exhaust gas (p < 0.001). Conclusions It was revealed that there is clear and substantial evidence for a link between traffic-induced air pollution and the development of overweight/obesity, while exercise prevents the development of obesity by reducing the effects of air pollution exposure. Further research on exposure duration, threshold dose range, and gender-specific differences associated with air pollution is needed to confirm our findings, as well as research on the efficacy of precise interventions and measures for obesity prevention.