Matthew Canning

• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences
• Effects of High intensity interval training (HIIT) and fluoride consumption on F metabolism in fluorosis-susceptible (A/J) mice

Dental cavities affect 60-90% of children. A way of preventing this is by using fluoridated water, however, excessive fluoride uptake can cause enamel fluorosis or enamel cell death. Fluoride uptake is influenced by many factors but relatively little is known about if or how, exercise affects this.

To analyze how exercise affects fluoride uptake, three groups of mice were used: group 1: control, group 2: fluoride only and group 3: exercise and fluoride. Muscle tissue from the mice was tested for the expression levels BAX (causes cell death) and BCL-2 (prevents cell death) and quantified visually via Western Blotting.

The results had shown that there was no BAX present in group 1 with a significant increase in group 2, and a bigger increase in group 3. The same trends were present for BCL-2 expression between each group. The results show that exercise does have an effect on fluoride uptake.

 Funding source: Wellcome Trust

 Supervisor: Dr Ruth Valentine