EFFECT OF AEROBIC TRAINING AND ETHANOL CONSUMPTION ON LIPID PROFILE AND GENE EXPRESSION OF SOME GASTROCNEMIUS MUSCLE MYOKINES IN MALE RATS

Background: Skeletal muscle as an endocrine tissue is involved in the regulation of metabolic activity, production and secretion of hormones including myokines. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of aerobic training combined with ethanol consumption on plasma lipid profile and glucose levels, triglyceride content and mayonectin, irisin and leptin gene expression in the gastrocnemius muscle in male rats. Methods: A number of 32 rats with a weighing average of 200 ± 10 g were divided into four groups control, aerobic training, ethanol with dose of 4 g/kgbw, and ethanol +aerobic training. At the end of the period, values of lipid profile and plasma glucose, the amount of triglyceride of the gastrocnemius muscle and the relative levels of mayonectin, irisin and leptin gene expression were evaluated. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA. Results: The plasma triglyceride levels in the aerobic training and ethanol+aerobic training groups were significantly decreased compared to the control group (P≤0.05). The gastrocnemius muscle triglyceride values were significantly increased in the ethanol +aerobic training (P≤0.0001) and aerobic training groups (P≤0.01) compared to the control group. The results showed that aerobic training significantly increased myonectin gene expression in aerobic training group (P≤0.05), but the expression of irisin and leptin genes did not change significantly in different groups. Conclusion: Aerobic training during the eight-week was able to improve lipid content, especially plasma triglyceride and skeletal muscle triglyceride, and possibly regulate body metabolism by altering the levels of myokines, especially myonectin.