Sport Biosciences

Response of Myocardial NLRP3 and LC3 Gene Expression in Male Diabetic Rats to Ischemic Preconditioning with Different Muscle Masses and Aerobic Training

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Fazeleh Akbarnia 1
Amin Farzaneh 1
abdollah Hashemvarzi 1
Ali SGHAR Farsavian 2

1 Department of Exercise Physiology, Sar.C., Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran.

2 Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

10.22059/jsb.2025.393561.1676
Abstract
Introduction: Diabetic cardiomyopathy increases the risk of heart failure. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) has a protective effect against myocardial injury. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of aerobic training and IPC with different muscle masses on myocardial NLRP3 and LC3 gene expression in diabetic Wistar rats.
Methods: Thirty-five Wistar rats were randomly divided into seven groups: Healthy control (C), diabetic (D), one-leg ischemia (1IP), two-legs ischemia (2IP), aerobic training (T), one-leg ischemia+aerobic training (1IPT), two-legs ischemia+aerobic training (2IPT). Diabetes was induced by a single injection of STZ (50 mg/kg). IPC consisted of three cycles of 5-minute ischemia followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion. Aerobic training was performed on a treadmill for six weeks, starting at 9 m/min for 15 minutes in the first week and gradually increasing to 18 m/min for 30 minutes by the sixth week. Myocardial NLRP3 and LC3 gene expression levels were measured using real-time PCR. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test.
Results: NLRP3 Gene expression significantly increased, and LC3 decreased in D compared to C (p=0.0001). NLRP3 and LC3 decreased and increased significantly, respectively, in 1IP (p=0.0001,p=0.021), 2IP (p=0.0001,p=0.003), T (p=0.0001, p=0.005), 1IPT (p=0.0001) and 2IPT (p=0.0001) compared to the C.
Conclusion: It appears that the effect of ischemic preconditioning on reducing cardiac NLRP3 and increasing LC3 in diabetic rats is independent of the mass of ischemic muscle involved. Aerobic training with IPC is more effective in improving NLRP3 and LC3 in diabetes.

Keywords

Inflammation
Ischemic preconditioning
Exercise training
Cardiomyopathy
Wistar rats
Subjects
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Sport Biosciences
Volume 17, Issue 2
summer
Summer 2025
Pages 61-77

  • Receive Date 17 April 2025
  • Revise Date 08 September 2025
  • Accept Date 13 October 2025

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