The effect of aerobic training with royal jelly on the expression of BCL-2, Bax and Bax / BCL2 ratio in pancreatic tissue of obese rats

Obesity is considered as a global disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of aerobic exercise with royal jelly on the expression of BCL-2, Bax and the ratio of BCL2/Bax in the pancreatic tissue of obese rats. In this research, 40 5-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups of normal diet (ND) and high-fat diet (HFD). Rats in the ND group were fed a standard diet (23% protein, 65% carbohydrates, and 12% fat) and the HFD group were fed a high-fat diet (17% protein, 43% carbohydrates, and 40% fat) for eight weeks. Then, the rats were divided into 5 groups: normal diet, high-fat diet, high-fat-exercise (HFDT), high-fat-supplemented (HFDRj) and high-fat-exercise-supplemented (HFDTRj) groups. The training group performed incremental aerobic training for 8 weeks and 5 days per week. Also, the supplement groups were daily given 100 mg of royal jelly mixed in distilled water. The results showed that induction of obesity through the consumption of high-fat foods increases BCL-2 gene expression and significantly decreases BAX gene expression in the high-fat group compared to the control group. Also, endurance exercises and gel supplementation decreased BCL-2 gene expression and increased BAX gene expression in the experimental groups compared to the high-fat group and these changes were more noticeable in the combined group. It is possible that aerobic training along with the use of royal jelly can be an effective strategy in improving the condition of obesity through the process of apoptosis.