Potency of moderate-intensity exercise on caspase-8 and caspase-9 expression in a DMBA-induced oral epithelial dysplasia rat model.

Authors

Anis Irmawati, Rasha Fatimah Abdullah, Athallah Reyhan Darmawan, Retno Indrawati Roestamadji, Ira Arundina, Noor Faizah Balqis, Fiki Muhammad Ridho, Noeroel Widajati, Raed Labib

Published in

Journal of applied oral science : revista FOB. Volume 34. Pages e20260438. Epub Aug 24, 2026.

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for approximately 90% of oral cancers, with tobacco exposure representing one of its major risk factors. The tobacco carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) induces oral epithelial dysplasia, a premalignant lesion. Caspase-8 and caspase-9 are initiator caspases that trigger apoptosis in dysplastic cells. Currently, disease management focuses on prevention. Moderate-intensity exercise has been reported to modulate apoptosis-related signaling and may contribute to cancer prevention.
To evaluate the potency of moderate-intensity exercise on caspase-8 and -9 expression in a DMBA-induced oral dysplasia rat model.
A total of 24 Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: K1 (no exercise, no DMBA), K2 (exercise, no DMBA), K3 (no exercise, DMBA), K4 (exercise, DMBA). Exercise consisted of moderate-intensity swimming at 70% MWC, performed 3x/week for 6 weeks. DMBA (0.02 mg/kg body weight) was injected into the buccal mucosa of the canine region twice weekly for 2 weeks. At the 7th week, the rats were anesthetized with ketamine (10 mg/kg body weight), euthanized by cervical dislocation, and buccal tissue specimens were collected. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to obtain caspase-8 and -9 expression. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 29.0.
All groups presented significant differences in caspase-8 (p = 0.004) and caspase-9 (p <0.001) expression. Caspase-8 and caspase-9 expression was significantly higher in K4 than in K3, with expression restored to levels comparable to the untreated control group (K1).
Moderate-intensity exercise restored caspase-8 and caspase-9 expression suppressed by DMBA exposure, suggesting preservation of apoptotic signaling in DMBA-induced Wistar rats.

PMID:
42659472
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 28 Aug 2026.

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