Effect of eight-week aerobic continuous and high intensity interval training on levels of SIRT3 in skeletal muscle tissue of Wistar rats

  SIRT3 is a member of the sirtuin family of protein deacetylases that is localized in mitochondria and regulates mitochondrial function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of eight-week aerobic continuous and high intensity interval training on levels of SIRT3 in Wistar rat’s skeletal muscle tissue. 24 Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of six animals each, namely: 1) Obese- High-intensity interval training (HIIT), 2) Obese- Continues training (CT) 3) Obese control (OB) and
4) Non-Obese control (Cont.). During the study, groups of rat 1, 2 and 3 were given a high-fat diet. After familiarization, CT and HIIT rats performed aerobic continuous training and high intensity interval training three times a week for eight weeks, respectively. 48 hours after the last training session, the rats were sacrificed. Western blot analysis showed that the amount of SIRT3 protein of Soleus muscle in HIIT and CT groups was higher than OB and Cont. groups significantly (p< 0.05). Also, SIRT3 content was higher in HIIT than CT group, though insignificant. Also, no significant difference was observed between SIRT3 content of OB and Cont. However, SIRT3 content was lower in OB group. It seems that using HIIT exercise can be as effective as continuous training on muscle mitochondrial function and ultimately contribute to longevity, especially in obese patients and raises important factors such as SIRT3.