The effect of eight weeks of high-intensity interval and moderate-intensity continuous training with quercetin supplementation on the expression of PGC1-α and NRF-1 genes in the heart tissue of obese diabetic male rats

Diabetes is more prevalent in obese individuals compared to non-obese individuals. This study aimed to examine the effects of eight weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) combined with quercetin supplementation on the gene expression levels of peroxisome gamma coactivator alpha-1 (PGC1-α) and nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1) in the heart tissue of obese male diabetic rats.

In this experimental study, 35 male rats were randomly assigned to seven groups of five: Diabetic control, healthy control, quercetin control, HIIT, MICT, HIIT with quercetin, and MICT with quercetin. The training protocols were conducted daily for eight weeks. Additionally, intraperitoneal injections of quercetin (15 mg/kg) were administered for eight weeks (5 days in each week) in the supplement groups. The expression levels of PGC1-α and NRF-1 genes in rat heart tissue were assessed using the qRT-PCR method.

Following the 8-week intervention, a significant decrease in blood glucose levels was observed in the quercetin control group and the four other training groups (P<0.05). Moreover, the expression levels of PGC1-α and NRF-1 genes in the heart tissue of rats significantly increased in both the training groups with and without quercetin supplementation (P<0.05).

The findings of the present study indicate that the combination of quercetin injection with HIIT and MICT resulted in a significant increase in the expression levels of PGC1-α and NRF-1 genes in the heart tissue of rats, along with effective blood glucose level control.