The effects of swimming training at different temperatures along with cinnamon supplementation on liver enzymes and thyroid hormones in diabetic rats.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of swimming (S) training in water at 5°C (S5C) and 35°C (S35C) along with cinnamon (Cin) supplementationon liver enzymes and thyroid hormones in streptozotocin (STZ(-induced diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental trial, 48 diabetic rats (55 mg/kg STZ) were divided into (1) diabetic control (CD), (2) S5C, (3) S5C+Cin, (4) S35C, (5) S35C+Cin and (6) Cin groups.Eight rats were placed in the healthy control (HC) group to evaluate the effects of diabetes induction on the research variables. Swimming training was performed at 5±2°C and 35±2°C for eight weeks, 3 days a week.For Cin supplementation, 200 mg/kg/day of the aqueous extract of cinnamon was dissolved in the animals drinking water. One-way analysis of variance with Tukey's post- hoc test in Graphpad Prism software was used to analyze the findings. Results: S5C and S35C significantly increased thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and decreased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)(p≤0.05). TSH levels in the S35C group were higher than the S5C group (p≥0.05); ALT levels in the S5C group were lower than the S35C group (p≥0.05). Also, Cin decreased AST and ALT levels (p≥0.05), while S35C+Cin decreased T3, ALP and ALT and S5C+Cin decreased ALP (p≥0.05). Conclusion: It seems that training at different temperatures and consumption of cinnamon synergistically lead to improvement of liver enzymes and modulation of thyroid hormones. However, the effect of training in cold water and its impact on thyroid hormones is still unknown and needs further research.

Interactive effect of swimming training and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum L.) extract on glycemic indices and lipid profile in diabetic rats.

Present study investigated the interactive effect of swimming training and fenugreek on glycemic index and lipid profile of diabetic rats. Forty-eight diabetic rats were randomly assigned to (1) control(C), (2) training(T), (3) fenugreek(F), and (4) training + fenugreek(T + F) groups and 12 healthy rats were placed in healthy control (HC) group. During 4 weeks, groups 2 and 4 performed swimming training for 5 sessions per week and groups 3 and 4 received 100 mg/kg fenugreek. training, fenugreek and training + fenugreek significantly decreased glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, LDL, VLDL, TG and TC as well as increased HDL (p ≤ .05) also training + fenugreek had more favourable effects on improving glycemic indices and lipid profile compared to training and fenugreek alone (p ≤ .05). It seems that training and fenugreek alone or synergistically improve the glycemic indices and lipid profile in diabetic rats, nevertheless the synergistic effects of training and fenugreek can be more desirable than the effect of each alone.

The effect of high intensity interval training with genistein supplementation on mitochondrial function in the heart tissue of elderly rats.

INTRODUCTION: For the most part, heart disease increases with age; on the other hand, although the role of exercise and antioxidants in the health of the elderly has been reported, the simultaneous effect of these two interventions is a new research topic. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of eight weeks of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and genistein (G) supplementation on oxidative stress, apoptosis and mitochondrial biogenesis in the heart tissue of elderly rats. METHODS: In this experimental study, 40 elderly female Sprague-Dawley rats aged 20 ± 2 months and weighing 250 ± 30 g were randomly divided into five groups of eight animals, including: (1) control (C), (2) sham (Sh), (3) HIIT, (4) HIIT + G and (5) G. Also, to evaluate the effect of time passage on the variables, 8 healthy young rats were included in the healthy young control group. HIIT protocol was performed for eight weeks, three sessions with an intensity of 95-90 % VO2max at high intensity intervals and 45-45 % VO2max at low intensity intervals. Ge was received daily at a dose of 60 mg/kg peritoneally. Data analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test (P ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: In the HIIT and HIIT + G groups, levels of Bax, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, MDA, PAB, GSSG were lower and levels of PGC-1α, TFAM, GSH, GSH/GSSG ratio and NDUFS7 were higher than the control and sham groups (P ≤ 0.05). In the HIIT + G group, levels of Bcl-2 were significantly higher than the control group (P ≤ 0.05). In the HIIT + G group, levels of Bax, GSSG, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and PAB were lower, and levels of GSH/GSSG ratio, Bcl-2, PGC-1α, TFAM and NDUFS7 were higher than the G consumption group (P ≤ 0.05). In the HIIT + G group, levels of PGC-1α and TFAM were significantly higher and levels of MDA and PAB were lower than the HIIT group (P ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both HIIT and G consumption seem to have beneficial effects on reducing oxidative stress; in addition, the interaction of these two variables on the improvement of apoptosis and mitochondrial biogenesis is more favorable than the effect of either one alone. However, more studies are needed on different pathways of apoptosis following G administration.

The effect of high intensity interval training with beetroot (Beta vulgaris) juice supplementation on serotonin and dopamine receptors expression, anxiety and depression in middle-aged diabetic rats.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of four weeks of high intensity interval training (HIIT) with beetroot juice supplementation (BJ) on serotonin and dopamine receptors in hippocampal tissue, as well as anxiety and depression in middle-aged diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 28 diabetic female rats (55 mg/kg, induced by streptozotocin) aged 12-14 months, weighing 280-320 g, were divided into (1) diabetic control (DC), (2) BJ, (3) HIIT, and (4) HIIT+BJ groups. Also, 7 healthy rats were included in the healthy control (HC) group to evaluate the effect of diabetes induction on the research variables. HIIT was performed for four weeks, 4 sessions per week (70-95% of maximum speed at high intensities; 50-60% of maximum speed at low intensities). Also, BJ was fed daily to rats at a dose of 10 ml/kg. Results: Hippocampal expression of dopamine receptor-1 (Dop.R), 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HT. R), open arm entry percentage (OAE%) and movement rate in the HIIT, BJ and HIIT+BJ groups were significantly higher than the DC group. In the HIIT+BJ group, open arm time percentage (OAT%) was higher than the DC group. Levels of Dop.R gene expression were more affected by HIIT, and levels of 5-HT. R were more affected by BJ supplementation; also, HIIT+BJ had a synergistic effect on reducing anxiety and depression. Conclusion: Although HIIT was more effective than BJ and HIIT+BJ on Dop.R and BJ supplementation on 5-HT.R and improved anxiety and depression, both of HIIT and BJ were complementary in improving dopamine and serotonin receptor-dependent anxiety and depression and enhanced each other's effects.

Effect of training and crocin supplementation on mitochondrial biogenesis and redox-sensitive transcription factors in liver tissue of type 2 diabetic rats.

Present study investigated the effect of continued training (CT) and interval training (IT) with crocin (C) supplementation on mitochondrial biogenesis and redox-sensitive transcription factors in liver tissue of type 2 diabetes (T2D) rats. Forty-eight high fat diet and streptozotocin- induced diabetic rats (mean age: 20 weeks, mean weight: 360.12 ± 12.11 g) were randomly divided into six groups including: (1) sham (Sh), (2) CT, (3) IT, (4) C (25 mg/kg/day), (5) CT + C, and (6) IT + C. IT and CT were performed 8 weeks for five sessions per week on treadmill with 80-85% and 50-55% of maximum speed running respectively. IT, CT and C decreased AP1 and increased LCAD (p ≤ .05); C increased SIRT1 (p ≤ .05); IT + C and CT + C decreased AP1 as well as increased NF-κB and LCAD (p ≤ .05); IT + C increased SIRT1, SIRST3 and PGC1-α (p ≤ .05). It appears that IT along with C compared to CT and C have favourable effect on mitochondrial biogenesis factors.

Mental Health Benefits of Exercise and Genistein in Elderly Rats.

Elderly is a part of life that is associated with physical and mental disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) along with genistein (Ge) on memory, anxiety, physical persistence and aerobic power in elderly rats. Forty elderly rats were randomly assigned to five groups of eight rats including 1) control (C), 2) sham (Sh), 3) HIIT, 4) HIIT+Ge, and 5)Ge. During 8-week groups 3 and 4 performed HIIT for three sessions per week and groups 4 and 5 received 60 mg/kg/day Ge peritoneally. Physical persistence (by forced swimming test), memory (by shuttle box and Y maze tests), anxiety (by elevated plus-maze test) and aerobic power (by exhaustive running on treadmill) were measured. HIIT, Ge, and HIIT+Ge significantly increased physical persistence and memory (P ≤0.05), HIIT and HIIT+Ge significantly decrease anxiety and increased aerobic power (P ≤0.05) and HIIT+Ge had higher effect on the decrease of anxiety and increase of memory compared to HIIT and Ge (P≤0.05). Although HIIT and Ge alone can enhance physical persistence, memory and anxiety in elderly rats nevertheless it seems that HIIT simultaneously with Ge has more favorable mental health benefits compared to HIIT and Ge alone.