Aerobic training prevents the obesity-induced cardiovascular disorders: focus on betatrophin and irisin levels

Betatrophin and irisin are a liver and muscle tissue produced proteins that regulate the triglyceride metabolism as well as glucose homeostasis. This study was designed to evaluate the level of betatrophin and irisin in obese rats before and after aerobic training.

Twenty four, 8-week-old male Wistar rats (249.8±11.2g) were selected and purchased for the research. After obesity induction by high-fat diet, the animals were randomly divided into two groups: exercise (n = 12) and control (n = 12). Also a match group with normal weight was selected for baseline comparisons. The animals trained 60 min/day, 5 days/week for 10 weeks. Body weight, lipid and glycemic profiles, and betatrophin and irisin levels were assessed after 10 weeks of training.  The data were compared using analysis of variance (P<0.05).

Results showed that weight mass (P<0.01), plasma total cholesterol (P<0.02), triglyceride (P<0.05) and fasting glucose (P<0.04) were reduced in obese rats following the exercise training. Plasma betatrophin was significantly reduced in exercise compared to sedentary groups (P<0.02). Conversely, irisin concentration was significantly elevated with exercise (P<0.03).

The data demonstrated that moderate intensity aerobic training prevented obesity-induced cardiovascular disorders simultaneously with improvements in betatrophin and irisin levels in obese rats.