The effect of short endurance training on the expression level of PINK-1, Parkin and PGC-1α in the heart of nicotine-sensitized rats

Background: Nicotine alters the expression of various genes in the heart. PINK-1(PTEN-induced kinase1) is the major regulator of cellular mitophagy. Moreover, Parkin is a protein that plays a key role in the process of ubiquitination. Also, PGC-1ὰ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha) is the main regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. On the other hand, exercise has many positive physiological effects on patients suffering from heart failure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of short endurance training on the expression of parkin, PINK1 and PGC- 1ὰ genes in the heart of nicotine-sensitive rats. Materials and methods: in this study, male Wistar rats weighing approximately 180 to 200 gr were used. The animals received nicotine at dose of 0.21 mg/kg intraperitoneally. Real time PCR technique was used to evaluate the expression of genes. Results: The results showed that nicotine decreased the expression of PGC-1ὰ gene (p<0.05) and had no effect on other genes (p>0.05). Short-term endurance training slightly increased the expression of all genes that was not statistically significant. Conclusion: It seems that short-term exercise can reduce the pro–apoptotic and stimulant effects of oxidative stress induced by nicotine. In addition, long-term exercise may potentially induce a significant positive effect on mitophagy-related genes.