Effect of Eight Weeks of Aerobic Progressive Training with Capsaicin on Changes in PGC-1α and UPC-1 Expression in Visceral Adipose Tissue of Obese Rats With Diet

Abstract

Objective: Decreased physical activity coupled with increased High‐Fat Diet (HFD) intake prompts obesity. Current research suggests that changing White Adipose Tissue (WAT) to brown promotes energy expenditure to counter obesity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aerobic Progressive training and Capsaicin (Cap) on Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) and Uncoupling protein-1 (UPC-1) gene expression in rat fed a high-fat diet. Methods: 40 male Wistar rats aged 8-12 weeks, were fed a Normal Diet (ND) (n=8) or HFD (n=32) for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, rats were divided into 5 groups: ND, HFD, High-Fat Diet-Training (HFDT), High-Fat Diet-Capsaicin (HFDCap), high-fat diet-training-capsaicin (HFDTCap). Training groups have performed a progressive aerobic running program on a motor-driven treadmill for eight weeks. Capsaicin (4 mg/kg/day) were administered orally, by gavage, once a day. PGC-1α and UCP-1 gene expression levels in the VAT were measured by Real-time PCR method. Results: The results of this study showed that PGC-1α and UCP-expression was decreased in HFD group compared to ND group. Also, the expression of PGC-1α and UPC-1 in HFDT, HFDCap and HFDTCap groups was significantly increased compared to HFD. The expression of PGC-1α and UPC-1 in HFDTCap was also significantly increased compared to HFDT and HFDCap groups. Conclusion: Possibly, eight weeks of progressive training combined with capsaicin administration has an effect on the browning of visceral adipose tissue in HFD rats by increasing expression of PGC-1α and UCP-1.

Effects of aerobic training and vitamin D supplementation on glycemic indices and adipose tissue gene expression in type 2 diabetic rats

“…thyroid hormones 42 , norepinephrine 43 , and Irisin 44 ) during aerobic training might upregulate the UCP-1 gene expression in adipose tissue through different mechanisms. Moreover, a wide spectrum of studies support the increment of PGC-1α genes following aerobic training in skeletal muscle of humans 45 and visceral adipose tissue of obese rats 16 . However, the observed weight loss in this study might be due to the reduced food intake following aerobic training and vitamin D supplementation.…”

“…Animals were maintained under a 12-h light/dark cycle, temperature of 25 ± 2 °C, and 45–55% humidity. All animals had free access to special food and water in a 500 ml bottles 16 , 24 ; the ethical principles of working with laboratory animals were considered in the present study.…”

“…In the first week, the low voltage electric stimulus was used along with the sound stimulus. Then, only the sound stimulus was used considering the ethical guidelines of working with laboratory animals 16 , 24 (Fig. 1 ).…”

“…Handschin and Spiegelman reported that 3-week moderate-intensity endurance training on a treadmill increases the expression of UCP1 mRNA in subcutaneous adipose tissue and visceral adipose tissue of rats leading to increased expression of PGC-1α 15 . However, some studies observed decreased expression of PGC-1α, and UCP1 while some reported no change in PGC-1α following exercise 16 , 17 . On the other hand, various studies have investigated the effect of supplements on patients with T2DM; Among them, studies have associated vitamin D deficiency with changes in insulin and blood glucose, as well as the sensitivity of specific tissues to insulin and consequently the risk of developing T2DM 18 , 19 .…”

Vitamin D improves the antidiabetic effectiveness of aerobic training via modulation of Akt, PEPCK, and G6Pase expression

“…After 2 weeks of adaptation to the new environment, rats in the diabetic groups were fed High-Fat Diet in the form of pellets [HFD; a mixture of standard mouse food powder (365 mg/kg), yeast powder (1 mg/kg), mixed vitamins and minerals (60 mg/kg), sheep fat (310 mg/kg), chloride Sodium (1 mg/kg), and DL-methionine (3 mg/kg) (purchased from Beh-Parvar Company)] to induce obesity for 2 weeks [ 21 , 22 ]. Diabetes was induced in rats by injecting nicotinamide solution (110 mg/kg body weight) and streptozotocin solution (50 mg/kg body weight) dissolved in citrate buffer (pH = 4.5) after weight increase (above 300 g).…”