The effect of 8-week of high intensity interval training on PGC-1α and ERRα gene expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue of male Wistar rats

PGC-1α and ERRα work together to transcribe genes involved in energy metabolism and play an important role in the expression and control of metabolic genes. The role of exercise in the expression of these two genes in adipose tissue is less known. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on the expression of PGC-1α and ERRα genes in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of male Wistar rats.

In the experimental study, 16 male rats were divided into two equal groups of HIIT and control. HIIT group participated in training programs for 8 weeks. The control group did not participate in the training program. The HIIT protocol consisted of 4 stages of running in 4 minutes with intensity of 90 to 100% VO2max and 4 stages of running in 3 minutes in 50 to 60% of VO2max. 24 hours after the last training session, the subcutaneous adipose tissue was removed. The RT-PCR method was used to measure gene expression. Data analysis was performed with independent t-test and Mann-Whitney U at the significance level of P < 0.05.

In the HIIT protocol, a significant increase was observed in the expression of both PGC-1α and ERRα genes in comparison with the control group (P < 0.001).

The results showed that HIIT training is very effective in expressing the genes involved in energy metabolism. Therefore, it is recommended that this training method be given more attention.