Aerobic training associated with an active lifestyle exerts a protective effect against oxidative damage in hypothalamus and liver: The involvement of energy metabolism

•A large cage stimulates a physically active lifestyle in mice.•Trained mice kept in a large cage exhibited high OXR1 in hypothalamus and liver.•A more active lifestyle provides a protective effect against oxidative damage.•An up-regulation of OXR1 may be induced by changes in energy metabolism.•SPA in the context of antioxidant defense should be further explored. Oxidation resistance protein 1 (OXR1) is of scientific interest due its role in protecting tissues against oxidative stress, DNA mutations and tumorigenesis, but little is known regarding strategies to increase OXR1 in different tissues. As an improved antioxidant defense may result from a high total amount of physical activity, the present study was designed to determine whether an active lifestyle including aerobic training exercise and spontaneous physical activity (SPA) can increase OXR1. We have built a large cage (LC) that allows animals to move freely, promoting an increase in SPA in comparison to a small cage (SC). We examined the effects of aerobic training applied for 8 weeks on SPA and OXR1 of C57BL/6 J mice living in two types of housing (SC and LC). OXR1 protein was studied in hypothalamus, muscle and liver, which were chosen due to their important role in energy and metabolic homeostasis. LC-mice were more active than SC-mice as determined by SPA values. Despite both trained groups exhibiting similar gains in aerobic capacity, only trained mice kept in a large cage (but not for trained mice housed in SC) exhibited high OXR1 in the hypothalamus and liver. Trained mice housed in LC that exhibited an up-regulation of OXR1 also were those who exhibited an energy-expensive metabolism (based on metabolic parameters). These results suggest that aerobic training associated with a more active lifestyle exerts a protective effect against oxidative damage and may be induced by changes in energy metabolism.