The effect of aerobic exercise on epicardial adipose tissue, insulin resistance, and some liver enzymes in high-fat diet-induced obesity male wistar rat

Background and Aim: Due to the prevalence and socio-economic consequences of obesity in mortality, cardiovascular (CAD) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease the effectiveness of aerobic exercise on epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), insulin resistance (IR) and some liver enzymes of high-fat diet-induced obesity male wistar rats was investigated. Methods: Thirty-two male Wistar rats with an average weight of 180-200 gr were randomly assigned into 4 equal groups: Normal Fat Diet (NFD), High-Fat Diet induced obesity (HFDO), Normal Fat Diet after High-Fat Diet induced obesity (HFDO-NFD) and Aerobic Exercise group with normal fat diet after High-Fat Diet induced obesity (HFDO-AEX). Body composition, fasting levels of Serum insulin, FBS, IR, TG, LDL, HDL, Cholesterol, AST, ALT, ALKP evaluated. Samples in the HFDO group were taken after fatty liver induced and in other groups 48 hours after eight weeks of aerobic training. Results: Results showed that after high-fat diet (HFD) period in comparison with the NFD group, Lee index, EAT, fasting blood glucose, insulin resistance, blood lipid profile and liver enzymes AST, ALT, ALP significantly increased (P ≤ 0.001). Also, eght weeks of aerobic training also significantly improved the values of Lee index (18.34%), relative EAT values (76.19%), insulin (4.01%), insulin resistance (37.48%), Fasting blood glucose (32.28%), HDL-c (23.65%), LDL-c (41.37%), total cholesterol (24.68%) and TG (49.55%) as well as liver enzymes AST (45.9%), ALT (44.34%), ALP (11.5%) tended to baseline values (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: These data suggested that aerobic exercise by an improvement in the insulin resistance, blood lipid profiles and EAT fat mas can alter the liver metabolism and attenuates predictive cardiovascular risk factor.