Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Authors
Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sport Science and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: Investigating the signaling pathways involved in the body’s metabolic changes has recently attracted considerable attention, primarily due to the rising prevalence of metabolic disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, and sarcopenia-related obesity. The present study aimed to compare three different training methods on the expression of TNF-α and FGF-21 proteins in the soleus muscle tissue of Wistar rats suffering from sarcopenic obesity.
Methods: In this experimental study, 50 male Wistar rats aged 15 months and weighing 320–350 grams were purchased from the Pasteur Research Institute. Ten rats were initially separated as a healthy control group, while the remaining 40 were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. After confirming obesity (based on Lee’s index) and muscle weakness (assessed via the grip strength test), the sarcopenic obese rats were randomly divided into four groups: (1) sarcopenic obese control group, (2) resistance training group, (3) high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group, and (4) combined training group. The training groups exercised for eight weeks, three sessions per week. At the end of the eighth week, functional tests (grip strength and maximum speed) were performed to compare the groups. Forty-eight hours later, the rats were anesthetized and sacrificed. Levels of TNF-α and FGF-21 proteins in the soleus muscle tissue were measured using the ELISA method. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post-hoc test at a significance level of P < 0.05.
Results: The findings indicated that the high-fat diet led to a significant increase in body weight and TNF-α protein levels, along with a significant decrease in FGF-21 protein levels compared to the healthy control group (P < 0.05). All three exercise groups showed a significant reduction in TNF-α levels compared to the sarcopenic obese control group, with this reduction being slightly more pronounced in the combined training group (P = 0.0059). A significant increase in FGF-21 levels was observed in all exercise groups compared to both the healthy control and sarcopenic obese control groups (P = 0.001). Moreover, a significant difference was found between the combined training group and the HIIT group (P = 0.038), whereas no significant difference was observed between the resistance training and HIIT groups (P = 0.085).
Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that TNF-α protein levels decreased and FGF-21 protein levels increased in all exercise groups compared to the sarcopenic obese control group. These changes were slightly more pronounced in the combined training group; therefore, this type of training may offer greater benefits.
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