Effect of 8-week circuit training on lymphocyte AGRP gene expression in well-trained wrestlers

Agouti-related protein (AGRP) is an orexigenicpeptide and found to be secreted from hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) andhas important role in appetite and food intake. It has been shown that AGRP hasan important role in weight control and plasma levels of this peptide increases infatness and starvation. The aim of this study was to study the effect of 8-weekscircuit training on lymphocyte AGRP gene expression in well-trained wrestlers. Ten well-trained wrestlers volunteered to this researchand conducted 8-weeks wrestling-based circuit training according to researchersrecommended protocol. Blood samples were taken 48 hours before the first andafter the last sessions of training. After lymphocyte separation, lymphocyteAGRP gene expression was evaluated with semi quantitative RT-PCR method. Circuit training significantly increased AGRP mRNA lymphocyte expression (P, 0.001). It seems that increase in lymphocyte AGRP expression is accordantwith increase in its expression in hypothalamus in response to negative energy balance induced by training to increase appetite and compensation of body energy sources.