Figure 6.

Effects of rapid restriction of food and water intake on the levels of inflammation, activation of an apoptotic effector, and levels of tissue injury in the kidney of rats with and without regular exercise. (a–c) Gene expression levels of TNF‐α (a), IL‐1β (b), and IL‐6 (c) in the kidney medulla. The mRNA levels were obtained using quantitative RT‐PCR and normalized to those of GAPDH. Fold changes are displayed relative to the control group receiving neither regular exercise nor rapid restriction (1.0). (d) Protein levels of active caspase‐3 in the kidney medulla. The amounts of active caspase‐3 protein were analyzed via Western blot (left panel) and densitometry (right panel). The image shows representative immunoblots. (e and f) Gene expression levels of Kim‐1 (e) and Ngal (f) in the kidney medulla. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM (mRNA levels, n = 5/group; protein levels, n = 4/group). *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001; ****p < .0001. NS, not significant; Ex, exercise; RR, rapid restriction