The Effect of High Intensity Interval Training on Gene Expression of MuRF1 and TRAF6 in Extensor Digitorum Longus (EDL) Muscle of Aged Mice

One of the mechanisms involved in muscle atrophy is TRAF6/MuRF1 path, which may increase muscle breakdown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on gene expression of MuRF1 andTRAF6in EDL muscle of aged C57bl/6 mice.  For this purpose, 28 C57bl/6 aged (n=14) and adult (n=14) mice of each group were assigned to two groups: training (n=7) and control (n=7). After one week of familiarization, training groups participated in 4 weeks of HIIT program. The mice were sacrificed 48 hours after the last training session and their EDL muscle were extracted and the gene expressions were measured with Real-time PCR technique. The comparison of aged and adult groups showed that aging had a significant effect on MuRF1 and TRAF6 mRNA gene expression (P=0.005 and P=0.004 respectively). Also, training drastically influenced MuRF1 and TRAF6 expression (P=0.0001). The findings also showed that aging had a significant effect on EDL muscle weight as a significant difference was observed between aging and adult control groups (P=0.032). But this amount was not statistically significant in both adult (P=0.117) and aged (P=0.321) groups. Thus, aging is associated with an increase in MuRF1 andTRAF6gene expression, which could possibly be involved in muscle mass changes associated with aging. Since high intensity interval training decrease the expression of these genes, it can be utilized to maintain muscle mass during aging.