Effects of a period of moderate-intensity interval training (MIIT) with ginger supplementation on PGC-1α and ATPIF1 gene expression in gastrocnemius muscle of aged male rats

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) and ATPase inhibitory factor 1 (ATPIF1) play a role in mitochondrial biogenesis. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of a period of moderate-intensity interval training (MIIT) with ginger supplementation on PGC-1α and ATPIF1 gene expression in gastrocnemius muscle of aged male rats.

In an experimental research, 20 aged male Wistar rats (22-month-old with a weight of 500 ± 100 g) were randomly divided into four groups of 5 each: control, interval training, ginger, and interval training + ginger. Training protocol was conducted on a treadmill for 8 weeks, three times a week. Ginger extract was orally administered to rats at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight per day for 8 weeks. Forty-eight hours after last training session, tissue removal was performed from gastrocnemius muscle to measure the expression of PGC-1α and ATPIF1 genes. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used for inter-group comparisons, and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare two groups.

Only a significant difference was observed in PGC-1α gene expression between interval training + ginger and control groups (p < 0.05). Also, there was no significant difference in ATPIF1 gene expression between research groups (p > 0.05).

Eight weeks of MIIT with ginger supplementation can lead to an increased PGC-1α gene expression in gastrocnemius muscle of aged male rats, but it did not cause a significant change in ATPIF1 gene expression