Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Kurdistan, Iran.
2 Associate Professor of Sports Physiology, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Kurdistan, Iran.
Abstract
Background and Aim: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) affects mitochondrial integrity and function through chronic hyperglycemia. This study aimed to investigate the combined effect of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and vitamin D3 injection on mitophagy-related proteins in heart tissue of T2DM rats. Materials and Methods: Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: healthy control (NC), diabetes control (DC), diabetes + HIIT (D+HIIT), diabetes + vitamin D3 (D+VD3), diabetes + HIIT + vitamin D3 (D+HIIT+VD3) were included. T2DM was induced by feeding mice with a high-fat diet followed by streptozotocin injection. The HIIT protocol consisted of running on a treadmill in short bursts of high-intensity activity, 90-85% of maximum running speed and 49 minutes and vitamin D3 was injected subcutaneously weekly (10,000 IU/kg). 48 hours after the intervention, heart tissue samples were collected and PARKIN and PINK-1 proteins were measured using western blot method. In addition, serum glucose level, insulin resistance and time to exhaustion were measured. The research hypotheses were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni's post hoc test. Results: The results showed that T2DM significantly decreased PARKIN and PINK-1 levels in heart tissue (P=0.018, p=0.036). However, both HIIT training and vitamin D3 interventions, individually and in combination, significantly increased PARKIN and PINK-1 protein content (P=0.001). In addition, the combined intervention of HIIT and vitamin D3 also led to a significant improvement in serum glucose level, insulin resistance and aerobic capacity compared to the diabetic control group (P=0.001). Conclusion: It seems that the combination of HIIT and vitamin D3 appears to enhance mitophagy, offering a protective effect against mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunctions caused by T2DM. This synergy not only helps mitigate the adverse effects of T2DM but also improves overall metabolic health and physical performance in the animal model.
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