High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alleviated NAFLD feature via miR-122 induction in liver of high-fat high-fructose diet induced diabetic rats

Abstract

Background: Exercise intervention is strongly recommended to manage metabolic diseases. In this study, we investigate, whether HIIT and CET can induce hepatic miR-122 expression, NAFLD rats with diabetes.

Methods: 40 Wistar rats divided into 2 groups, non-diabetic (NDC) and diabetic .Type 2 diabetes was induced by high-fat high-fructose diet (HFHFD). Then diabetic rats were subdivided into three groups: diabetic control (HFHFD + DC), CET (HFHFD + CET), and HIIT (HFHFD + HIIT). After eight weeks of exercise on a rodent treadmill, we measured miR-122 and its target genes expression in the liver of rats.

Results: HIIT decreased the expression of FAS, ACC, SREBP-1c compared with HFHFD + DC (p = .004, p = .032, p = .043, respectively), and could partially increase miR-122 expression as compared with HFHFD + DC (26.8%, p = .68).

Conclusions: Exercise training could be a non-pharmacological intervention for improvement of NAFLD of diabetic rats by induction of miR-122. HIIT had a greater effect on NAFLD amelioration than CET.

Keywords:

• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
• type 2 diabetes
• mir-122
• high intensity interval training
• continuous endurance training

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences for financial support of this study (number: 13270).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.