Synergistic Effects of Four Weeks of Endurance Training with Probiotic Supplementation on the Expression of PGC-1α and Citrate Synthase Genes in Soleus Muscles of Diabetic Rats

Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the probable mechanisms for the onset and progression of diabetes. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate synergistic effects of endurance training with probiotic supplementation on PGC-1α and citrate synthase (CS) gene expression in diabetic rats.

Briefly, 32 Wistar male rats were randomly divided into five groups of normal control (NC), diabetic control (DC), diabetic supplement (SDC), diabetic training (TD), and diabetic supplement training (STD). The training protocol was carried out with 60–65% vVO2peak intensity, five days a week for four weeks. Furthermore, rats daily received 2 g of probiotic dissolved in 30 ml of water. The PGC-1α and CS gene expression were assessed using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method. Data were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance at significant levels of p ≤ 0.05.

Expression of the PGC-1α gene significantly increased in TD (p = 0.006) and STD (p = 0.000) groups, compared to DC. The CS gene expression significantly increased in TD (p = 0.03) and STD (p = 0.00) groups, compared to DC. No significant differences were seen between the TD and STD groups in PGC-1α (p = 0.06) and CS (p = 0.27) gene expression. Moreover, no synergistic effects of aerobic exercise and probiotic supplement on the expression of PGC-1α (p = 0.25) and CS (p = 0.46) genes were observed.

Although four weeks of endurance training alone and in combination with probiotics increased the expression of PGC-1α and CS genes; however, this increase seems to be due to endurance training and concomitant use of the prescribed probiotics with endurance training did not include synergistic and interactive effects.