en بیوشیمی Biochemistry مقالات اصلی Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Background:</em></strong> Evidence indicates that combined approaches based on exercise and nutrition benefit neural development. We aimed to determine the effect of saffron and endurance training on hippocampus neurogenic factors, neurotrophin-3 gene expression in soleus muscle, and short-term memory in Wistar rats.<br> <br> <strong><em>Methods:</em></strong> The study analyzed four groups of ten rats each: control, exercise, saffron, and saffron plus exercise. The rats in the exercise groups were trained on a rodent motor-driven treadmill. All rats were gavage daily with either saffron extract (40 mg/kg) or water. After eight weeks of intervention all rats were evaluated using the novel object recognition (NOR) test. Blood and tissue samples were collected to measure proteins and neurotrophin-3 gene expression.<br> <br> <strong><em>Results:</em></strong> Rats that received saffron treatment combined with exercise had significantly greater brain-derived neurotrophic factor (<em>BDNF</em>) and serotonin in hippocampus compared to the control and saffron-only-treated rats (p< 0.05). Neurotrophin-3 mRNA in soleus muscle was higher in the saffron plus exercise group than rats in the other three groups (p< 0.05). Hippocampus 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid and short-term memory were significantly greater in all the intervention groups than in the control group (p< 0.05).<br> <br> <strong><em>Conclusions:</em></strong> Saffron, combined with endurance exercise, synergistically increased hippocampus <em>BDNF</em>, serotonin, and muscular neurotrophin-3 mRNA in Wistar rats.</div> Endurance Exercise, Memory, Hippocampus, Saffron, Neurotransmitter. 426 434 http://rbmb.net/browse.php?a_code=A-10-514-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Maryam Akbari-Fakhrabadi maryamakbari.f@gmail.com 100319475328460017746 100319475328460017746 Yes Sports Medicine Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Mohammad Najafi 100319475328460017747 100319475328460017747 No Department of Biochemistry, School of Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences Soudabehsadat Mortazavian 100319475328460017748 100319475328460017748 No Sports Medicine Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Amir-Hossein Memari 100319475328460017749 100319475328460017749 No Sports Medicine Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Farzad Shidfar 100319475328460017750 100319475328460017750 No Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Ali Shahbazi 100319475328460017751 100319475328460017751 No Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran & Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Javad Heshmati 100319475328460017752 100319475328460017752 No Department of Nutritional Sciences and Food Technology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.