The Effect of Six Weeks of Aerobic Exercise on Inflammation and Damage Indicators of Heart Tissue in Type 1 Diabetic Male Rats

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death in patients with type 1 diabetes, and cardiovascular risk remains high even in patients with type 1 diabetes with good metabolic control. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of six weeks of aerobic exercise on inflammation and damage indicators of heart tissue in type 1 diabetic male rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 19 male Wistar rats (mean weight 200-250 g) were randomly divided into four groups: aerobic training, sham, control and healthy. In this study, induction of type 1 diabetes was performed by injecting a single dose of streptozotocin dissolved in sodium citrate buffer intraperitoneally. Aerobic exercise program was performed with intensity of 50-60% VO2max, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. After anesthesia, an autopsy was performed and left ventricle of the heart was removed. Levels of Tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (PGC-1α) and Creatine kinase (CK) in rat heart tissue were measured by Western blotting. Data were analyzed by One-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test at the P<0.05. Results:  The results showed that six weeks of aerobic training led to significant decrease in TNF-α and CK and significant increase in PGC-1α of the heart tissue in type 1 diabetic rats (P<0.001). Conclusion:  According to the results, it seems that aerobic training can help improve the inflammation and damage indicators of heart in type 1 diabetes.