Abstract
Background and aims: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a myokine which is produced and secreted by skeletal muscle. Given the inconsistent results on the relationship between the intensity of training and the improvement of blood indices in diabetic patients, the current research investigated the effect of endurance training at different intensities on serum FGF21 level, glucose, and insulin resistance in streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic male rats. Methods: To this end, 50 rats (with a mean weight of 23.28±25.05 g) were randomly divided into healthy (non-diabetic) control, diabetic control, as well as low, moderate, and high-intensity endurance training groups. Diabetes was induced in all rats by the injection of STZ. Three days after STZ injection, the blood samples were taken from the cut tip of the tails, and those rats with blood glucose levels above 300 mg/dL were considered diabetic and included in the study. The program included 8-week aerobic training at different intensities. The blood samples (5 cc) were directly collected from the hearts 48 hours after the last training session, followed by measuring the serum FGF21 level, glucose, and insulin. Finally, the analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc test were used for inter-group comparison and the significance level was considered <0.05. Results: Based on the results, the serum glucose level, insulin resistance, and FGF21 reduced after eight weeks of endurance training. The reduction of FGF21 in higher intensity endurance training group was greater compared to the other groups (P<0.05) and the reduction of glucose in moderate intensity group was more significant in comparison to that of the other groups (P<0.001). However, the insulin level increased, which was more pronounced in the moderate intensity training group compared to the other groups (P=0.002). Conclusion: Overall, both moderate and high-intensity endurance training led to a comparatively more effective reduction in blood glucose and insulin resistance. Therefore, these two parameters may have a protective effect on the complications associated with diabetes in the rats.
Highlights
Diabetes is regarded as a heterogeneous and metabolic disease that leads to increased blood glucose level and metabolic disorders due to the lack of or a reduction in insulin function and its complications affect both the patient and the society in the long term [1]
Given the reported significance level, the KolmogorovSmirnov test results showed that all data related to biochemical variables were normally distributed (P ≥ 0.05)
The results of the current study indicated that following eight-week endurance training, serum Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) level decreased significantly compared to the control group
Summary
Diabetes is regarded as a heterogeneous and metabolic disease that leads to increased blood glucose level and metabolic disorders due to the lack of or a reduction in insulin function and its complications affect both the patient and the society in the long term [1]. Given the inconsistent results on the relationship between the intensity of training and the improvement of blood indices in diabetic patients, the current research investigated the effect of endurance training at different intensities on serum FGF21 level, glucose, and insulin resistance in streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic male rats. Conclusion: Overall, both moderate and high-intensity endurance training led to a comparatively more effective reduction in blood glucose and insulin resistance. These two parameters may have a protective effect on the complications associated with diabetes in the rats.
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