Effect of Obesity on Skeletal Muscle Semaphorin 3C Levels in Male and Female Wistar Rats

Semaphorin 3C (Sema3C) is a relatively new and lesser-known adipokine. Recent studies have demonstrated that the class 3 semaphorin subfamilies have the most significant role in metabolic disorders. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of obesity on skeletal muscle Sema3C levels in male and female Wistar rats.

In this experimental study, 12 male and female 8-week-old Wistar rats with a mean weight of 138 ± 13.60 gr were randomly assigned to two groups of six: non-obese (three males and three females) and Obese (three males and three females). The rats were dissected after eight weeks of induction of obesity and 18-20 hours of fasting, and their skeletal muscle tissue was rapidly removed and frozen. The sema3C level of skeletal muscle was measured by ELISA. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 21) using a two-way ANOVA test at a significance level of P≤0.0. In addition, the effect of obesity intervention was investigated in male and female rats separately.

Based on the results of the present study, the level of Sema3C in male and female rats in the obese group increased; nonetheless, it was not significant (P≥0.05). Moreover, Lee's index did not change significantly in male and female rats in the obese group (P≥0.05).

It seems that a high-fat diet increases the level of Sema3C in skeletal muscle which can have negative effects on the whole body system considering the role of this adipokine in the spread of metabolic diseases