The effect of combined therapy with resveratrol, and continuous and interval exercises on levels of apoptotic biomarkers in heart tissue of male rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases. This study aimed at evaluating the effects of therapy with resveratrol supplementation alone or in combination with exercise trainings on cardiomyocytes apoptosis in a heart tissue of rats with NAFLD. In this experimental study, a total of 56 male Wistar rats were divided into control and seven experimental NAFLD groups including, patient, saline, resveratrol (RSV), continuous exercise, interval exercise, continuous exercise+RSV, and interval exercise+RSV. Apoptosis biomarkers, including Bax and Bcl2 levels, were measured in the heart of all groups using specific ELISA kits. The Bax levels in the heart tissue of the patient and saline groups were 29.95±5.83 and 28.37±5.83 ng/mg/protein, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in other groups (P<0.0001), while the Bcl2 concentration was significantly decreased (P<0.0001). The mean ratios of Bax/Bcl2 in the patient (23.02±7.65) and saline (20.43±5.29) groups were significantly higher than those in the other groups (P<0.001). Resveratrol supplementation alone or in combination with exercise trainings significantly decreased the cardiac Bax content, but significantly increased the cardiac Bcl2 level (P<0.001). Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with increased apoptotic biomarkers in heart cells. Although resveratrol alone has an anti-apoptotic properties, combined therapy with interval and continuous trainings can be more effective