Effect of eight weeks of high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT) and low- intensity endurance training (LIET) with a high-fat diet on the expression of PPARα and PLIN5 of skeletal tissue in overweight male rats

Obesity is a metabolic disorder in which proteins involved in fat metabolism are altered. Because obesity is a growing disease among people living in today's societies, the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 8 weeks of high-intensity intermittent training and low- intensity endurance training on PPARα and PLIN5 gene expression in skeletal muscle of overweight rats.

Forty male Wistar rats, 5 weeks old, weighing 148.4 ±22.8 g were randomly divided into four equal groups (n=10): control, LIET, HIIT which fed high fat diet, and sham group which fed standard diet. Forty-eight hours after the end of the training program (eight weeks of intense intermittent exercise or HIIT and continued low-intensity exercise or (LIET) the rat adipose tissue was isolated under sterile conditions. Finally, expression levels of PPARα and PLIN5 of skeletal tissue were measured by the Real-time PCR method.

The data indicated that the expression level of the PPARα and PLIN5 was significantly increased in HIIT and LIET groups compared to the control group (P= 0.001).

HIIT and LIET exercises increased the expression of the PLINS gene in skeletal muscle by increasing the expression of the PPARα gene in lipid droplets of skeletal muscle.