The effect of high-intensity interval training on the expressions of CHOP and ATF6 in liver tissue in rats with type 2 diabetes

 Type 2 diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance and glucose dysregulation. It is a major concern of the World Health Organization, affecting millions of people worldwide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of  8 weeks of high-intensity interval training on the expression of activating transcription factor-6 (ATF-6) and C/EBP homologue (CHOP) proteins in liver tissue in rats with type 2 diabetes. 

  The current study was experimental with a post-test design with a control group. A number of 24 Wistar male rats, aged 6 weeks and weighing approximately 200-250 grams, were obtained from the Pasteur Institute of Iran. Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups of 8 high intensity interval training (HIIT) diabetic, diabetic control and healthy control. The training groups performed 5 HIIT training sessions on the treadmill during 8 weeks and each week (the training protocol was 8 weeks of interval training, 5 sessions per week with intense 2-minute intervals with 2-8 repetitions and 80-90 The percentage of maximum running speed and 1-minute rest intervals were performed with 50-56% of maximum running speed. After 48 hours from the last training session and after fasting days, all rats were anesthetized and liver tissue was harvested. The data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

 The results showed that ATF-6 protein levels in type 2 diabetic male rats did not change significantly after 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (P = 0.73). But CHOP protein levels showed a significant increase after 8 weeks (P = 0.001). CHOP protein levels in the diabetic training group showed a non-significant decrease compared to the diabetic control group (P < 0.05), but in the diabetic training group compared to the healthy control group, it showed a significant increase (P = 0.001).  

 As a result, 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training can have beneficial effects on reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress in liver tissue caused by type 2 diabetes in diabetic rats. Furthermore, further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore the potential mechanisms involved.