Effect of Aerobic Exercise on the Expression of Ppargc-1α and SIRT1 in Cardiac Muscle of Diabetic Male Wistar Rats

Background: Type 2 diabetic patients have an abnormally high rate of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases. Given the adverse impact of diabetes on mitochondrial biogenesis in heart cells and the role of exercise on mitochondrial biogenesis signaling, this study investigated the effect of eight weeks of aerobic exercise on PGC-1a and SIRT1 gene expression in the myocardium of diabetic male Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted on 24 adult male Wistar rats (eight weeks old and weighing 278.26±18.06g), which were randomly assigned to three groups of healthy control (n=8), diabetic control (n=8), and diabetes+aerobic exercise (n=8). The exercise protocol consisted of eight weeks of exercise, three sessions a week, starting with 10 minutes of running at a speed of 10m/s in the first week and ultimately reaching 40 minutes of running at a speed of 18m/s in the eighth week. The changes were analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s post hoc test. Results: Significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of body mass (P=0.0001), fasting glucose (P=0.004), serum insulin (P=0.023), and myocardial Ppargc- 1α expression (P=0.031). The post hoc test represented a notable weight decrease in the diabetic control group (P=0.001) and the diabetic exercise group (P=0.001) compared to the healthy control group. The results also showed a significant increase in the glucose level of the diabetic control group compared to the healthy control group (P=0.008) and a notable decrease in the diabetic exercise group’s glucose level in comparison with the diabetic control group (P=0.001). A significant decrease was also observed in the insulin level of the diabetic exercise group compared to the diabetic control group (P=0.034). The results of the post hoc test for Ppargc-1α expression changes showed significantly increased myocardial Ppargc-1α expression in the diabetic exercise group compared to the diabetic control group (P=0.009). No significant change was detected in the expression of SIRT1 (P=0.075). Conclusion: The findings suggest that exercise positively affects insulin resistance and weight changes by regulating genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis.