The Interaction Effect of Aerobic Exercise and Atorvastatin Consumption on the expression level of MFN1/2 and DRP1 in Hepatocytes of the Rat Liver with Type 2 Diabetes

Dynamic disorders of mitochondria cause the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the interactive effect of aerobic exercises and atorvastatin consumption on the expression of MFN1/2 and DRP1 in hepatocytes of rat liver with type 2 diabetes.

In this experimental study, 25 male rats were divided into 5 equal groups: diabetes, healthy control, persistence+diabetes, atorvastatin+diabetes, persistence+atorvastatin+ diabetes. Type 2 diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (STZ) in mice. The training groups performed the running program on the treadmill for eight weeks. Atorvastatin and atorvastatin-exercise groups received atorvastatin (10 mg/kg) by gavage. 48 hours after the last training session, the rats were dissected; their liver tissue was removed and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen solution at a temperature of minus 80 ° C to measure MFN1/2 and DRP1. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc test were used for statistical analysis at a significance level of p<0.05.

The results showed that induction of type 2 diabetes decreased the expression of MFN1/2 and increased DRP1 compared to the healthy group. After eight weeks of intervention, a significant increase was observed in the expression level of MFN1 (p<0.05), but this increase was not significant in MFN2 and there was no significant difference in the expression of factors between the groups. Also, after eight weeks, a significant decrease in DRP1 gene expression was observed (p<0.05). This decrease was significant in comparison with the combined groups compared to the patient group.

It is possible that a combination of aerobic exercises and atorvastatin may positively regulate the expression of genes related to mitochondrial dynamics in diabetes.