en Reproductive Physiology Original Article Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:14pt"><span style="text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Background: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Hormone therapy is one of the most effective treatments for menopausal disorders, but it may increase the risk of breast cancer, coronary heart disease, and pulmonary embolism. </span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:14pt"><span style="text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Objective:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> The present study investigated the effect of resistance training with and without vitamin D calcium<i> </i>(Ca⁺⁺) chitosan nanoparticles on apoptosis markers in ovariectomized rats.</span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:14pt"><span style="text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Materials and Methods: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">42 female Wistar rats were divided into 7 groups (n = 6/each). One group was assigned as the healthy control to show the induction of menopause. The other 6 groups comprised ovariectomized (OVX) animals including: 1) vitamin D + calcium + chitosan + resistance training, 2) saline + estrogen + resistance training, 3) saline + resistance training, 4) vitamin D + calcium + chitosan, 5) saline + estrogen, and 6) OVX + control. 48 hr after the last intervention, the hippocampus tissue was extracted to measure the BCL-2-associated <i>X</i> (<i>BAX</i>), B-cell lymphoma 2 (<i>BCL-2</i>), and <i>caspase-3</i> gene expression as well as the percentage of dead cells.</span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:14pt"><span style="text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Results: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">OVX rats demonstrated increased <i>BAX</i> gene expression, the ratio of <i>BAX</i> gene expression to <i>BCL-2</i>, <i>caspase-3</i> gene expression, and percentage of dead cells of hippocampal tissue, but decreased <i>BCL-2</i> gene expression. Resistance training and </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt">vitamin D Ca⁺⁺ chitosan nanoparticle supplements</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> seemed to reverse these changes.</span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:14pt"><span style="text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Conclusion:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> The combination of resistance training and </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt">vitamin D Ca⁺⁺ chitosan nanoparticle supplements</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> may be considered a </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt">non-pharmacological </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt">treatment for OVX-induced apoptosis.</span><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"></span></b></span></span></span></span></div> Apoptosis, BCL-2-associated X protein, Caspase-3, Estrogen replacement therapy, Hormone replacement therapy. 549 560 http://ijrm.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1539-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Mahsa Dehghan-Manshadi mahsadehghan60@yahoo.com 0000-0002-2139-6169 No Department of Exercise Physiology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Mohammad-Ali Azarbayjani m_azarbayjani@iauctb.ac.ir 0000-0002-3502-7487 Yes Department of Exercise Physiology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Sirvan Atashak s.atashak@iau-mahabad.ac.ir 0000-0002-0953-1102 No Department of Exercise Physiology, Mahabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran. Maghsoud Peeri m.peeri@gmail.com 0000-0003-1415-7319 No Department of Exercise Physiology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Saleh Rahmati-Ahmadabad salehrahmati@pardisiau.ac.ir 0000-0001-8751-1759 No Department of Physical Education, Pardis Branch, Islamic Azad University, Pardis, Iran.