Effects of Six Weeks of High-Intensity Interval Training on HIF-1α Protein Expression in Lung Tissues and Apoptosis of Pulmonary System in Male Wistar Rats

Apoptosis is a kind of regulated cell death involved in the normal growth, development, immune response, and elimination of abnormal cell proliferation in living organisms. In contrast, regular exercise protects against aging, lipid peroxidation, inflammation, and apoptosis.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of 6 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on HIF-1α levels in lung tissues and apoptosis of the pulmonary system in male Wistar rats.

Ten male Wistar rats were divided into training and control groups for this purpose. They performed six weeks of HIIT conducted in 5 sessions per week, each session for 30 minutes at a speed of 15 to 70 m/min. Then, animal lung tissue was extracted, and HIF-1α levels and lung tissue apoptosis index were measured via ELISA and immunohistochemical methods, respectively.

showed that HIIT significantly increased HIF-1α level (p = 0.001) and lung and pulmonary duct apoptosis (p = 0.001) despite a significant improvement in exercise performance (p = 0.001).

According to the results, HIIT enhances athletic performance, HIF-1α level increases, and the rate of apoptosis rises.