The effect of a HIIT training course on the expression of PGC-1α, SIRT1 and SIRT3 genes in the heart tissue of elderly female rats

Exercise improves the function of mitochondrial proteins and enzymes in aging. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a HIIT training session on the expression of PGC-1α, SIRT1 and SIRT3 genes in the heart tissue of elderly female rats.

In this experimental study, 14 female Sprague Dovali rats with a mean age of 16-18 months and a weight range of 320-280 g were randomly divided into 2 groups of 7 including control group (C) and HIIT training group (TH). . The experimental group performed HIIT exercises for 8 weeks and 5 days a week with an intensity of 110% -85% VO2max. Forty-eight hours after the last training session, the rats were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of ketamine and vylazine, and the target tissue was immediately removed for examination. Shapiro-Wilk statistical test and one-way analysis of variance were used to analyze the findings in SPSS software version 22 (p ≥ 0.05).

The results of the present study showed that the expression of PGC-1α, SIRT1 and SIRT3 genes increased after 8 weeks of HIIT training in the heart tissue of the experimental group compared to the control group, but this increase was not significant (P ≥0.05).

It seems that in elderly conditions, exercising from pathways other than PGC-1α improves mitochondrial function. However, further research is needed on the effect of HIIT exercise on the expression of these genes in heart tissue.