Eight weeks of high intensity interval training improve the expression of interleukin-17 and interleukin-18 genes in the heart tissue of cadmium-poisoned rats

Introduction: lL-17 and IL-18 are pro-inflammatory cytokines. The aim of present study is to evaluate the effect of endurance training on IL-17 and IL-18 in heart tissue of rats which have been poisoned by cadmium. Material & Methods: Twenty Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: 1) control, 2) sham, 3) cadmium and 4) high intensity interval training (HIIT training) with cadmium. HIIT training was performed 8 weeks and 3 days a week (80 to 110% of their VO2max). Cadmium groups received 2mg/kg cadmium intraperitoneally everyday. At the end of protocol, the rats were sacrificed and their heart tissues were prepared to measure gene expression of IL-17 and IL-18. The data was analyzed by independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA (P≤ 0.05). Results: The HIIT training led to significantly reducing IL-17 and IL-18 gene expression in heart issue of rats (P= 0.001). Conclusion: The 8 weeks of HIIT training will improve the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in rats which have been poisoned by cadmium.