Effect of four weeks high intensity interval training versus aerobic exercise on metallothionein levels of myocardial tissue in rats

Oxidative species produced during exercise can cause damages to some tissues such as kidney, liver and skeletal muscle. It seems that metallothionein plays a protective role against these actions.
To assess the effect of four weeks of high intensity interval training versus aerobic exercise on metallothionein levels of myocardial tissue in healthy male rats.
This experimental study was done on 36 male Wistar rats (2 months of age with an average weight of 180±20) in 2015.The rats were randomly divided into three groups: control (n=12), high intensity interval training (n=12), and aerobic training (n=12) groups. The experimental groups exercised according to the training program 5 days a week for 4 weeks. During this period, the control group did not have any training programs. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data.
Findings: The results indicate no significant difference among the mean metallothionein in control, aerobic exercise and high intensity interval training groups. However, the amount of myocardial metallothionein increased as a result of high intensity interval training and decreased during aerobic exercise.
It seems that the duration and intensity of exercise need to be adjusted in order to obtain better results.