This study aimed to investigate the effect of crocin consumption, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and low-intensity continuous training (LICT) and their interactive effect on the gene expression of Mfn2 and Drp1 in the skeletal muscle and serum glucose and insulin indices in high-fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Fifty-six adult rats were divided into eight groups of seven subjects: crocin consumption, HIIT, LICT, HIIT with crocin, LICT with crocin, diabetic control, healthy control, and sham (placebo). At the end of the course (5 months), metabolic indices were measured. Moreover, the Mfn2 and Drp1 gene expression levels in all groups were measured using RT-PCR. The statistical analysis showed that in the exercise training (HIIT and LICT) and the crocin consumption groups, the glucose and insulin indices significantly improved (p = .005). Moreover, in these groups, the levels of gene expression of Mfn2 and Drp1 significantly increased and decreased, respectively (p = .001). Exercise training and crocin consumption appear to, either in combination or individually, have a beneficial effect on mitochondrial dynamics and diabetes by improving the mitochondrial fusion and fission indices (Mfn2 and Drp1), and by modifying the insulin resistance index and glucose homeostasis. Practical applicationsMfn2 and Drp1, as the main regulators of the mitochondrial fusion and fission, play an important role in maintaining mitochondrial dynamics and type 2 diabetes. Thus, the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics is an intricate process that retains the balance between mitochondrial fission and fusion, and any disturbance in this balance can lead to mitochondrial-associated diseases including insulin resistance and T2D. There is evidence that herbal antioxidants Including crocin and exercise training help improve the mitochondrial activity and insulin sensitivity in T2D. Considering the importance of the two Drp1 and Mfn1 genes in the mitochondrial dynamic pathway and coding the proteins that play a key role in relation to T2D, this study primarily examined the interactive effects of endurance training (HIIT and LICT) along with crocin consumption on the expression the genes mentioned above; the results obtained in this study can provide a new approach to the treatment of HFD + STZ-induced diabetic rats. K E Y W O R D Scrocin, Drp1, Mfn2, T2D, training
Background: Exercise training and crocin, as a herbal antioxidant, help improve metabolism and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) involve in the mitochondrial biogenesis pathway and diabetes control. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and low intensity continued training (LICT) in combination with crocin consumption on AMPK and NRF1 gene expression in the muscle tissue of diabetic rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 56 adult rats were divided into eight groups (n = 7), including diabetic (crocin utilization, HIIT, LICT, HIIT with crocin, LICT with crocin, control, sham groups) and healthy control group. The HIIT and LICT groups performed five sessions of training per week for eight weeks, and the crocin consumption groups received 25 mg/kg of crocin daily for eight weeks. Moreover, AMPK and NRF1 genes expression levels were evaluated in different groups using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: According to our results, while induction of diabetes significantly decreased the levels of NRF1 and AMPK gene expression (P ≤ 0.05), training and crocin consumption significantly increased the levels of AMPK and NRF1 gene expression (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: It appears that crocin consumption along with HIIT improves diabetes symptoms through AMPK and NRF1 mechanism in diabetic rats.
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