The effect of aerobic training and probiotic supplementation on blood glucose levels and caspase-3 gene expression in skeletal muscle of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Hyperglycemia occurring in the diabetic condition can cause apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway with higher cell death protein expression. Probiotics are viable microorganisms which confer health benefits to the host and have anti-diabetic and antioxidant effects. Also, there are some evidences that exercise may affect the signaling pathways of skeletal muscle apoptosis. The aim of this study was to examine the aerobic exercise training and probiotic supplementation effects on blood glucose levels and caspase-3 gene expression of the soleus muscle in diabetic rats-induced by streptozotocin.

 40male Wistar rats (weight: 250-270 gr; age: eight weeks) were selected and divided into five groups: control+normal (N), control+diabetic (CD), diabetic+probiotics (SCD), diabetic+aerobic training (TD), and TD+probiotics (STD). Rats were made diabetic using streptozotocin (45 mg/kg). The rats in the training groups aerobically exercised using a treadmill at intensity of 60-65% of maximum speed for five weeks and five days per week and received probiotics (2 gr) in drinking tap water (supplemented groups). 48 hours after the last training session, the animals were sacrificed, then the soleus muscle was dissected to evaluate the gene expression of caspase-3 (using the Real Time PCR) and plasma glucose (by the glucose oxidase method). T-test, one-way ANOVA and Scheffe’s post hoc tests were applied for statistical analysis at significance level of p≤0.05.

The results indicated that fasting blood sugar was significantly lower in the TD+probiotics group compared to the other groups (p=0.008). On the other hand, gene expression of caspase-3 was a significantly decreased in diabetic+aerobic training and TD+probiotics (p=0.01) groups.

It appears that aerobic exercise training with the use of probiotics prevents apoptosis in the muscle with the down-regulation of blood glucose.