Effect of aerobic training and royal jelly on some factors of cardiac apoptosis in obese rats

Obesity is associated with dyslipidemia, which leads to elevated triglyceride levels, apoptosis and compromised cardiac function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aerobic training (AT) and royal jelly (RJ) on apoptosis indices in cardiomyocytes in high-fat diet-induced obese rats.

In this experimental study, 45 male rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=9): Normal Diet (ND), High-Fat Diet (HFD), High-Fat Diet+Training (HFDT), High-Fat Diet+Royal Jelly (HFDRJ), and High-Fat Diet+Training+Royal Jelly (HFDTRJ). The supplement groups received 100 mg of royal jelly (kg/body weight) diluted in distilled water orally during the intervention period. The aerobic exercise program included treadmill running with an intensity of 50-60% oxygen consumption (VO2max), 5 days/week for 8 weeks. Data were analyzed using ANOVA at p<0.05.

HFD decreased Bcl2 (p=0.006), increased BAX (p=0.006) and BAX/Bcl2 (p=0.006). AT, RJ as well as the combination of AT with RJ increased Bcl2 and decreased BAX and BAX/Bcl2 (p≤0.05). Increase in Bcl2 and decrease in BAX and BAX/Bcl2 were significant in HFDTRJ group compared to HFDT and HFDRJ groups (p≤0.05).

Combining AT with RJ may improve apoptotic markers in cardiomyocytes by affecting BAX and Bcl2 expression and control HFD-induced cardiomyocytes damage on the apoptotic pathway.