Aerobic Exercise Improved Diacylglycerol/Protein Kinase C and Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Biphosphate Pathway in Cardiac Tissue of Obese Rats

Abstract

Background: Obesity, characterized by abnormal accumulation or excess lipids, is a major cause of increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Objectives: The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise on the expression of sn-1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG), Protein kinase C (PKC), and Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate (PIP2) genes in experimental rat models of diet-induced obesity. Methods: Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: (1) control, (2) obesity, (3) exercise, and (4) obesity + exercise. At the end of the experiment, cardiac hypertrophy markers and real-time PCR were used to evaluate and compare the gene expression levels of DAG, PKC, and PIP2 in cardiac tissue across all groups. Results: A high-fat diet containing fructose significantly increased the gene expression levels of DAG, PKC, and PIP2 in the cardiac tissue of obese rats compared to the control group. However, 6 weeks of aerobic exercise led to a significant decrease in DAG and PKC gene expression compared to the obese rats. Although there was no significant change in PIP2 gene expression in the obesity + exercise group compared to obese rats. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, it appears that aerobic exercise can modulate the expression of DAG and PKC genes, which play a critical role in cardiac remodeling.