Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Authors
1 Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University
Abstract
Introduction: Autophagy and mitophagy play a critical role in protecting cardiac function by eliminating altered proteins. However, disruption of these processes in type 2 diabetes (T2D) may lead to cellular homeostasis impairment. This study aimed to investigate the effects of eight weeks of combined intermittent fasting and exercise on cardiac autophagy and mitophagy in T2D.
Methods: Twenty-five male Wistar rats (8–10 weeks old) were randomly assigned to five groups (n=5): healthy control, diabetic control, diabetic intermittent fasting (2 days per week, 16 hours fasting), diabetic exercise (3 days of moderate-intensity continuous exercise and 2 days of resistance exercise), and diabetic combined intermittent fasting and exercise. The protocols were performed for eight weeks. Levels of Atrogin-5 and Parkin proteins were measured using Western blot, and data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results: The levels of Atrogin-5 and Parkin proteins were significantly increased in the diabetic control, intermittent fasting diabetic, and exercise diabetic groups compared to the healthy control group (P<0.05). However, in the combined intermittent fasting and exercise diabetic group, no significant change was observed compared to the healthy control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, the expression of these proteins significantly decreased in the intermittent fasting diabetic, exercise diabetic, and combined intermittent fasting and exercise diabetic groups compared to the diabetic control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes disrupts cellular homeostasis and metabolism in cardiac tissue by excessively increasing autophagy and mitophagy. However, this disruption can be reversed through a combination of intermittent fasting and exercise.
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