The effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the expression of GLUT4 mRNA in diabetic rats

Abstract

Objective To study the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on the expression of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) of the quadriceps muscles in diabetic rats. Methods 24 type 2 diabetic rats were randomly divided into control group, exercise group and NMES group. The exercise group trained on medium-strength treadmills. The NMES group received electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscles of the lower limbs. Fasting blood glucose concentration was measured by tail vein blood, insulin concentration and insulin resistance index (IRI) were measured by ELISA, and GLUT4 gene expression was determined by RT-PCR. Anova was used for comparison among groups, and LSD-t test was used for further comparison among two groups. Results The blood glucose levels in the exercise group and NMES group were significantly decreased after intervention (P 0.05). There was no significant change in insulin level before and after intervention in all groups (t=1.023, 2.283, 1.775, P>0.05), but the IRI was significantly decreased (t=10.216, 6.748, P 0.05). After intervention, the statistical significance of blood glucose level, IRI and GLUT4 mRNA expression levels in the three groups were observed (F=38.415, 9.976, 275.123, P 0.05), and the expression of GLUT4 mRNA in the quadriceps muscle of the exercise group was significantly higher than that in NMES group (P<0.01). Conclusion NMES training can improve insulin resistant to control blood sugar, related with the increase of the expression of GLUT4 mRNA. Key words: Type 2 diabetes; NMES; Insulin resist; GLUT4