The Effect of Atorvastatin and Continuous Aerobic Exercise on the Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Beta Gene in the Liver Tissue of Diabetic Rats

Abstract

Background and Objectives Contrary to its weak role in angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor beta (VEGF-β) plays a role in lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of exercise and atorvastatin on the expression of the VEGF-β gene in the liver tissue of diabetic rats. Subjects and Methods In this study, 25 rats were divided into control, diabetes, diabetes + exercise, diabetes + atorvastatin, and diabetes + atorvastatin + exercise groups. The interventions included eight weeks of aerobic exercise, running on a treadmill, and taking 10 mg of atorvastatin by gavage. After the interventions, the rats were sacrificed, and the liver tissue was analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance and LSD post hoc test. Results The results showed that the induction of diabetes led to a significant decrease in hepatic VEGF-β gene expression and an increase in serum glucose and total cholesterol levels compared to the healthy control group. In the diabetes + exercise and diabetes + atorvastatin + exercise groups, the increase of VEGF-β and the decrease of glucose and cholesterol were significant compared to the control, diabetes, and diabetes + atorvastatin groups. Conclusion According to the results, it can be argued that continuous aerobic exercise can prevent diabetes-induced liver complications by increasing the expression of VEGF-β gene. However, despite the positive effects of atorvastatin on serum glucose and total cholesterol levels, it does not have any significant effect on hepatic VEGF-β gene expression in diabetic rats.