The Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training on Soleus Muscle FGF21 Expression and Lipid Profile in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under (CC BY-NC 4.0) license

Authors

1 Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

10.22049/jahssp.2025.30245.1714

Abstract

Background& purpose: Nowadays, the prevalence of obesity has become a public health concern. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate precise treatment strategies and simultaneously investigate the mechanisms involved. The present study aimed to examine the effect of a high-intensity interval training course on the expression of FGF21 in the soleus muscle and lipid profile in rats fed a high-fat diet. Methods: For this purpose, 24 healthy adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups: control (CON) (N=6), control+exercise (CON+EXE) (N=6), high-fat diet (HFD) (N=6), and high-fat diet+exercise (HFD+EXE) (N=6). Diet and exercise interventions were initiated simultaneously and continued for 10 weeks. HIIT training consisted of eight periods of interval activity (90% MRC for 2.5 min) with active rest periods (50% MRC) for 2.5 min). The PCR_ method was used to examine FGF21 expression in the soleus muscle. Serum lipid indices were also measured. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to examine the normality of the data distribution, and one-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Tukey's post hoc test was also used to study pairwise groups. The significance level was set at P<0.05, and statistical analyses were performed using SPSS27 software. Results: By performing HIIT, weight and BMI were reduced, and LDL, cholesterol, HDL, and HDL/LDL ratio were increased in the training groups compared to those in the control group (P=0.001). The expression of FGF21 in the soleus muscle was significantly higher in the training group than in the control group (P=0.001). Conclusions: Ten weeks of HIIT without caloric restriction could potentially increase FGF21 expression and improve lipid profiles and weight loss. Therefore, this type of training can modulate and regulate obesity and its complications, without caloric restriction.

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Journal of Applied Health Studies in Sport Physiology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 15 April 2025

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History

  • Receive Date: 04 January 2025
  • Revise Date: 14 April 2025
  • Accept Date: 15 April 2025

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