Zinc Transporters in the Livers of Healthy Male Wistar Rats: An Investigation of the Effects of Aerobic Exercise and Supplementation with Pumpkin Seed and White Pea

The current study aims to investigate the impacts of aerobic exercise with pumpkin seed oil and white pea extract supplementation on the gene expression of the liver zinc transporters of healthy male Wistar rats.

In this experimental study, 60 male Wistar rats (130 - 150 g, aged 4-6 weeks old) were divided into 6 groups (n = 10/groups) by randomization. These groups include (1) saline control, (2) saline training, (3) pumpkin seed oil control, (4) pumpkin seed oil training, (5) control-pea, and (6) training-pea. The aerobic exercise protocol consisted of running at a velocity of 25 m/min, 5 days a week and for 6 weeks. Supplement groups received 4 ml/kg/day of pumpkin seed oil and 2 g/kg/day of white pea extract through oral gavage. Gene expression levels of ZnT5, ZnT9, and ZIP14 of liver tissue were determined through real-time PCR, and serum levels of Zn were measured using the ICP-EOS technique approximately 48 hours after the final session of the training program. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests (P < 0.05).

Regarding the results of one-way ANOVA, there were no significant changes in serum Zn levels (P = 0.418) as well as gene expression levels of ZnT5 and ZIP14 among intervention groups (P = 0.586 and 0.677, respectively), but ZnT9 gene expression level was significantly changed among the study groups (P = 0.029). Also, the results of the Tukey test showed that six weeks of aerobic exercise along with pumpkin seed oil supplementation had the greatest effect on ZnT5 gene expression.

Findings showed that aerobic training along with pumpkin seed oil supplementation had the greatest impact on the up-regulation of ZnT5 as a Zn transporter to retain the blood Zn levels in healthy trained rats, suggesting that pumpkin seed oil can be an effective ergogenic aid for improving circulatory Zn levels.