Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Professor Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz. Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

3 Ph.D.Candidate, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Tabriz,Tabriz, Iran.

10.22077/jpsbs.2025.8489.1930

Abstract

Background and Aim: Increasing the activity of uncoupled protein type 1 (UCP1) reduces the complications of obesity.The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of twelve weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and L-carnitine supplementation on the expression of miR-455, HIF-1α, and UCP1 changes in subcutaneous adipose tissue of obese male rats. Methds: Thirty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups after 8 weeks of weeks of obesity induction: Control (C), Training (T), Supplement (S), and Supplement+Training (ST). The protocol of HIIT with 85-90% of the maximum speed on the treadmill, 5 days a week for 12 weeks, was performed for T and ST group rats. S and ST groups rats were gavage with L-carnitine 30 mg/kg body weight daily for three months. Mir-455 expression, HIF-1α and UCP1 were assessed by RT-qPCR, western blot and immunofluorescence respectively. Dependent t-tests and One-way analysis of variance at a significance level of p<0.05 used for group comparisons and Benferroni's post hoc test as appropriate to determine the significance level. Results: The weight of rats increased during the obesity period (p=0.001), which was reduced by exercise (p=0.003) and Supplementation+Training (p=0.001). The expression of miR-455 gene in T group significantly decreased (p=0.001) and S group significantly increased (p=0.001) compared to group C and ST group increased non-significantly (p=0.071). The expression of HIF-1α Protein between groups S, T and ST increased significantly (p=0.001) compared to group C. UCP1 protein expression was significantly increased in all groups compared to group C (p=0.001). Conclusion: HIIT and the combination of HIIT with L-carnitine appear to be a useful strategy for combating obesity and provide promising evidence for promoting browning of white adipose tissue. While further research is needed to generalize of these findings from animal models to human applications.

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