Effect of Eight Weeks of High- Intensity Intermittent Exercise (HIIT) and Low- Intensity Persistence Exercise (LIET) with a High- Fat Diet on the Expression of FSP27 and HIF-1α of Adipose Tissue in Overweight Male Rats

Obesity and gaining weight lead to dysfunction in adipose tissue metabolism, reduced blood flow, and increased hypoxia. On the other hand, exercise training has been identified as complementary medicine, convenient and efficient. This study aimed to compare the effects of eight weeks of high- intensity interval training (HIIT) and low- intensity continuous training (LIET) on the expression of HIF-1α and FSP27 genes in adipose tissue of overweight male rats. This study was conducted in 1399 at Royan Biotechnology Research Institute in Isfahan city.

In the present experimental study, 40 male Wistar rats weighing 155.4 ± 24.6 g were randomly divided into four groups at five weeks of age. The control group, HIIT and LIET, consumed high- fat food for 16 weeks, and the sham group consumed standard food. The HIIT group performed high- intensity exercise, and the LIET group performed low- intensity exercise. Finally, the expression of HIF-1α and the FSP27 gene of adipose tissue isolated from mice were measured by real- time PCR.

There was a significant difference in the expression of HIF-1α and FSP27 between the study groups (P= 0.001). The expression of the HIF-1α gene in the HIIT group (P= 0.003) and LIET group (P= 0.001) decreased by 3.3- fold compared to the control group. Also, the expression level of FSP27 between the control group and HIIT group (P= 0.016) and LIET (P= 0.042) decreased by 0.3 fold.

A high- fat diet has significantly increased the weight of rats and caused obesity. Moreover,  high- intensity and low- intensity endurance training decreased the expression level of the HIF-1α and FSP27 in adipose tissue. Furthermore, these training protocols improved the metabolism and function of adipocyte fat drop.