نشریه فیزیولوژی ورزش و فعالیت بدنی
سال شانزدهم شماره 1 (بهار 1402)

There is now mounting evidence that pro-inflammatory pathways, which are mediated by T cells (that secrete IL-17 and IL-22), play a critical role in metabolic control. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of aerobic training along with aqueous extract of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) on relative expression of IL-17, IL-22 and insulin resistance in streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

In this experimental study, 40 male Wistar rats (age five weeks and weight 162.12 ± 15.24 g) were obtained from the Pasteur Institute and transferred to the laboratory. After transferring the rats to the laboratory, inducing diabetes and familiarizing them with exercise on a rodent treadmill, they were randomly divided into five groups: Control-Normal (CN), Diabetes (DM), Diabetes-Training (TDM), Diabetes-Garlic (GDM) and Diabetes-Training-Garlic (TGDM). Diabetes was induced in the rats by the intraperitoneal administration of a single dose of Streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). Blood glucose of 250 mg/dL was the criterion for diabetic rats. Training groups have performed an aerobic running program (at 10-18 m/min, 10-40 min/day, and five days/week) on a motor-driven treadmill for eight weeks. A dose of one ml of garlic extract /100 g body weight (about 0.4 grams per 100 grams of body weight) was orally administered daily to rats. The expression of IL-17 and IL-22 was measured by RT-PCR method. After estimating fasting glucose and insulin levels, HOMA-IR index was used to evaluate insulin resistance. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient at P < 0.05. 

The expression of IL-17 (P = 0.0001), IL-22 (P = 0.0001) and HOMA-IR level (P = 0.0001) increased in DM groups compared to CN group. IL-17, IL-22 and HOMA-IR was significantly lower in TDM (respectively, P = 0.008, P = 0.040, P = 0.0001), GDM (respectively, P = 0.017, P = 0.044, P = 0.0001) and TGDM (respectively, P= 0.0001, P = 0.0001, P = 0.0001) groups than in DM group. Also, IL-17 and IL-22 in the TGDM group lower than TDM (respectively, P = 0.045, P= 0.041) and GDM (respectively, P = 0.023, P = 0.038) groups. A positive correlation was observed between HOMA-IR and IL-17 (P = 0.0001) and IL-22 (P = 0.001).

The findings of the present study show that probably the increase in the relative expression of IL-17 and IL-22 with the induction of diabetes is associated with an increase in insulin resistance. Decreased IL-17 and IL-22 expression adipose tissue followed by aerobic training and aqueous garlic extract were associated with decreased HOMA-IR in diabetic rats. In addition, the combination of aerobic exercise with garlic extract had synergistic effects and reduced inflammation and HOMA-IR compared to each alone. Since diabetics are constantly exposed to inflammation and according to the reduction of IL-17 and IL-22 following aerobic exercise and consumption of garlic extract, the use of these two could possibly be of therapeutic importance for T2DM patients.

Exercise training and vitamin D supplementation play an important role in cardiovascular health. However, the effects of combining these two strategies and their molecular role in cardiac adaptations are less known. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of vitamin D supplementation and aerobic exercise on oxidative stress markers and Sirtuin-1 (SIRT-1) levels in the myocardial tissue of middle-aged male rats.

Forty male rats (12-14 months, 350-400 g) after two weeks of familiarization and maximal aerobic speed test, were randomly divided into four groups: control (Con), aerobic training (AT), vitamin D (Vit-D) and aerobic exercise + vitamin D (AT+Vit_D) were divided. The training consisted of eight weeks of incremental training (5 days per week). Vit_D and AT+Vit-D groups received 500 units of vitamin D along with 0.3 ml of olive oil (kg/body weight). Olive oil was also used as a placebo. 48 hours after the last intervention session, the heart tissue of the animals was removed. The activities of Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) as well as the concentration of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and SIRT-1 protein were measured. Data analysis was done by one-way ANOVA test at P < 0.05 level.

The findings showed that the SIRT-1 was significantly higher in the AT than in the Con group (P < 0.05). Also, the MDA levels in the AT were lower than in the Con group (P < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in MDA and SIRT-1 among other groups (P > 0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in the ‌ GPx, SOD and H2O2 between the groups (P > 0.05).

In general, the findings of the present study showed that regular aerobic exercise is beneficial for reducing oxidative damage to the heart tissue in middle age. Also, aerobic training in middle age leads to an increase in SIRT-1 protein. Considering the important role of SIRT-1 in preventing heart diseases and strengthening the antioxidant defense system, aerobic exercise seems to be an effective strategy to reduce cardiovascular diseases associated with aging. In addition, the findings of the present study showed that vitamin D supplementation along with aerobic exercise does not produce synergistic effects in improving oxidative stress markers or SIRT-1. However, due to the small amount of studies in this regard and also some limitations of the current research, it is suggested to conduct more studies in this regard.

Inactivity and on the other hand physical exercise are known as factors related to indicators of liver damage. However, the role of many types of interval, including interval and resistance training, and the consumption of certain dietary supplements, including spirulina, on immune and inflammatory factors is not fully understood. Therefore, the aim of this research was to determine the effect of eight weeks of spirulina supplementation and resistance and intermittent aerobic training on liver tissue activity and CXCL1 gene expression in muscle tissue of Males rats.

In this semi-experimental research, 65-weeks-old male Wistar rats with an average weight of 246.4 ± 24.6g were randomly assigned to six groups: interval training + spirulina supplement, resistance training + spirulina supplement, control + spirulina supplement, interval training + saline, resistance training + saline, control + saline. Based on this, the amount of spirulina supplement in the spirulina supplement consumption groups was 500 mg/kg body weight. The interval training group performed five sessions per week for eight weeks, and the resistance training group performed three sessions per week with increasing load. 48 hours after the last training session, the animals in the experimental groups were anesthetized with ketamine and xylazine, blood samples were taken from the inferior vein, and quadriceps muscle tissue was quickly removed. CXCL1 gene expression level in quadriceps muscle and liver enzymes were measured as an indicator of liver function in serum. Statistical data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (P < 0.05).

The results of this research showed that after 8-weeks of interval and resistance training with increasing load, the expression level of the CXCL1 gene was higher in the quadriceps muscle of the control group, but no significant difference was found. The level of liver enzymes was significantly higher than the control group. The results also showed that spirulina consumption combined with interval aerobic and resistance exercise can significantly alter liver function indicators compared to the control group. However, the expression of the CXCL1 gene in the groups consuming spirulina and aerobic and resistance training did not show a significant change compared to the control group.

the results of this research showed that spirulina and interval and resistance exercises can modulate the functional indicators of the liver and the gene expression of CXCL1 in the quadriceps muscle tissue. These results show that spirulina can be involved in the occurrence of adaptive responses related to metabolic damage.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high intensity interval training with Nigella Sativa supplementation on lipid profile, blood sugar and body composition of overweight young women.

The present study is in the form of a semi-experimental design in a double-blind on 48 overweight young women of NEISHABOUR city with a mean and standard deviation of age 36.41 ± 3.51 and body mass index of 28.704 ± 0.79. kg/m2. The subjects were randomly divided into four groups. Five people refused to continue cooperation due to some reasons and finally there were four groups including exercise and supplement (n=10), exercise and placebo (n=9), supplement (n=12) and placebo (n=12). Two exercise groups trained for six weeks, three sessions per week with an intensity of 85 to 95 percent of the maximum heart rate (HRmax). In addition to all of the groups consumed one oil capsule containing 1000 mg of Nigella Sativa or placebo (paraffin oil) before lunch daily. The Supplement and placebo group did not do any regular exercise. Anthropometric measurements and blood samples were taken on two occasions, pre-test and post-test. Fasting blood samples were collected from brachial vein to evaluate lipid profile and blood sugar levels. In order to check the normality of the data distribution, the Shapiro-Wilk test was used. To analyze the data and report them, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tests and SIDAK post hoc test were used at a significance level of 0.05.

The results of the present research did not show a significant difference between exercise and supplement, exercise and placebo groups compared to supplement and placebo groups after six weeks in total cholesterol (p=0.332), triglyceride (p=0.928), high-density lipoprotein (p=0.86), low density lipoprotein (p=0.393) and fasting blood sugar (p=0.054). The results of the SIDAK post hoc test showed that, in total, the measures taken in the experimental groups have led to a decrease in body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat percentage. In terms of body mass index and body fat percentage, the exercise and placebo groups had better performance, and in terms of waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, the supplement group had better performance, but these differences were not statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) and all experimental groups only had a better score body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and body fat percentage indices compared to the control group (placebo) (P < 0.05).

It seems HIIT and Nigella Sativa supplementation, each one can be effective in improving the body composition of overweight young women. However, in this study, HIIT and Nigella Sativa supplementation did not have a significant effect on lipid profile and fasting blood sugar, so it is suggested that more research should be done.

Intensive training such as soccer activities cause significant changes in hormone circulation and also induce microscopic muscle damages and acute inflammatory reactions that can influence the performance of athletes in 24 to 72 hours after soccer and prolong the recovery time. Nutritional strategies are among the popular and accessible methods to facilitate the recovery of function and physiological disorders after certain sports as well as soccer. Therefore, the present study was a two-way clinical trial that investigated the effect of beta hydroxy beta methyl butyrate supplement in the form of free acid (HMB-FA) on the levels of hormonal markers during the recovery period during a weekly soccer cycle.

This research was semi-experimental, with a pre-test-post-test and double-blind design. Twenty-four male soccer players (mean age 23 ± 3 years, mass index of 22.8 ± 2, mean height 172.6 ± 5.5 cm and average weight 74.3 ± 5.4 kg) were voluntarily selected as the statistical sample of this study and were divided into two groups of 12 people. In this study, subjects participated in a weekly soccer microcycle with two matches. Subjects in the supplement-training group consumed three grams of HMB-FA daily during a weekly soccer cycle. Blood samples were taken in seven stages (before supplementation, before the first match, immediately after the first match, 24 hours after the first match, before the second match, immediately after the second match, 24 hours after the second match). Plasma concentrations of cortisol and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were measured by ELISA method. Data analysis was performed using Friedman, Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis and U Mann-Whitney tests with a significance level of P≥ 0.05.  

The results showed that after intaking HMB-FA supplement, there was a significant decrease in plasma cortisol levels (before the first match, after the first match and 24 hours after the second match) (for all, P < 0.05) and there was also a significant increase for IGF-1 (before the first match, after the first match and immediately after the second match) (for all,P < 0.05).

HMB-FA supplementation has increased the levels of IGF-1 hormone and decreased cortisol, which indicates an increase in anabolic state and a decrease in catabolic state in the body, which is used for muscle reconstruction and recovery from injuries caused by exercise and racing is essential during a race microcycle. In addition, taking HMB supplements may have other effects, including reducing neuromuscular fatigue, reducing the inflammatory response, and rapid skeletal muscle regeneration, which requires further study.

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) protein complex increases in response to resistance training with a histological approach and decreases in aerobic training with a metabolic approach. These changes can be discussed in the conditions of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and with exercise. Therefore, taking into account exercises such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with aerobic and anaerobic characteristics and on the other hand T2DM intervention can depict the possible interaction of mTOR with glycemic and histopathological indicators of the cardiac. So, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of eight weeks of HIIT on p-mTOR, T-mTOR and fibrosis of cardiac tissue and insulin resistance on diabetic rats through STZ injection.

Twenty male adult white Wistar rats were divided into four groups (N=5): healthy control, diabetic control, healthy workout and diabetic workout. The HIIT protocol was carried out five sessions a week for eight weeks on a treadmill. One-way analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis at a significance level of P < 0.05.

The results showed that eight weeks of HIIT did not lead to significant changes in the amount of p-mTOR and T-mTOR in the cardiac tissue of rats with T2DM (P > 0.05); However, it caused a significant decrease in insulin resistance (31.2% compared to the diabetic control group) and cardiac tissue fibrosis (51.6% compared to the diabetic control group) in rats with T2DM (P < 0.05).

According to the results, it seems that eight weeks of HIIT is enough to observe the increase in amount of cardiac tissue mTOR in healthy rats, but it is insufficient in rats with T2DM. Also, it is possible that the reduction of cardiac tissue fibrosis in rats with T2DM, at least during eight weeks of HITT, is independent of cardiac tissue mTOR.

The increase of inflammatory factors following obesity is known as one of the main causes of mortality. Although the role of exercise training, caloric restriction and antioxidant supplements have been reported in this field; But their simultaneous effect is of interest to many researchers. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of HIIT (High-intensity interval training) , calorie restriction and spirulina supplementation on inflammatory factors in the heart tissue of rats fed a high-fat diet.

45 obese male rats with a diet (60% fat, 20% protein, and 20% carbohydrate) were randomly divided into eight groups (1) high-calorie diet (HFD) (2) spirulina supplement (Sp), (3) caloric restriction (CR), (4) intense interval training (HIIT), (5) spirulina supplement - intense interval training (HIIT+Sp), (6) intense interval training - caloric restriction (CR+HIIT), (7) spirulina supplement-caloric restriction (CR+Sp), (8) intense interval training-caloric restriction-spirulina supplement (CR+HIIT+Sp). Also, five healthy rats were included in the healthy control group to investigate the effects of a high-calorie diet on the research variables. Intense interval training was performed for eight weeks, three sessions per week with an intensity of 80-110% of the maximum running speed and with 2-8 high intensity intervals, spirulina supplement 100 mg/kg/day was administered orally for eight weeks. Moreovwe, the caloric restriction groups used only 60% of the food consumed the previous day. To analyze the data, one-way analysis of variance was used along with Tukey's post hoc test (P ≤ 0.001).

The values of P38MAPK, NF-κB and TNF-α were higher in the HIIT group and significantly lower in the CR group than the HFD group (P ≤ 0.001). The levels of TNF-α in the spirulina supplement, spirulina supplement-intense central training and intense interval training-caloric restriction groups were significantly lower than the high-calorie diet group (P ≤ 0.001); The values ​​of NF-kB in the group of intense interval training-caloric restriction were significantly lower than those of the high-calorie diet (P ≤ 0.001). Also, in the severe interval marinade-caloric restriction-spirulina supplement group, NF-kB, TNF-α values ​​were significantly lower and P38MAPK was significantly higher than the high-calorie diet group (P≤0.001).

It seems that caloric restriction and spirulina supplement alone have anti-inflammatory effects, although the anti-inflammatory effect of caloric restriction was somewhat higher than that of spirulina and HIIT; Therefore, the use of these two interventions, along with HIIT, is desirable for reducing inflammatory factors following obesity and overweight in animal models.

Wrestling is an encounter sport with frequent and high-intensity Eccentric contractions. Such activities, which are carried out with strong Eccentric contractions, are associated with mechanical and metabolic disorders. Such a high intensity of activity in wrestling significantly leads to the sudden production of reactive oxygen species of free radicals during and the recovery period after each competition. It is even possible that during this category of the activities, the antioxidant reserve is severely reduced and depleted, and following the inefficiency of the oxidative system, oxidative stress occurs, which leads to a decrease in sports performance and is associated with the acceleration of fatigue. Hence the present study aimed to determine the effect of short-term Inflamma-X supplementation on oxidative stress and antioxidant defense system markers following two consecutive rounds of SWPT-SWFT combination Test in young wrestlers.

Among the eligible volunteers, 24 young wrestlers were randomly divided into two groups: supplement-training (12 people) and placebo-training (12 people). The supplement-training group was asked to take two 15 mg capsules of the inflamma-x supplement daily with 200 ml of water for 10 days before the exercise test. The placebo group also received starch tablets with the same amount and number of supplement-exercise groups. The SWFT-SWPT combined test includes two Specific Wrestling Perform Test (SWPT) and a Specific Wrestling Fitness Test (SWFT). The combined test was three minutes and 40 seconds, which was considered one round, and each stage included two rounds. To evaluate the changes in oxidative stress markers and antioxidant defense system of wrestlers, initial fasting blood sampling was collected before the start of the combined SWFT-SWPT test. The next four blood draws include: immediately after the first, second and fourth stages of the mentioned test, and the last blood draw was performed 48 hours after the combined SWPT-SWFT test. The collected samples were evaluated by the ELISA method to evaluate the levels of Malondialdehyde, total antioxidant capacity, and Superoxide dismutase. To analyze the data, the method of analysis of variance with repeated measures (Mixed Anova) was used.

The findings showed that the total antioxidant capacity values of the supplement group were higher than the placebo group in all stages, however, the difference between the two groups was significant only in the third, fourth and fifth blood sampling times (P < 0.05) but in the first and second blood sampling stages between the two there was no significant difference in the group (P > 0.05). Also, in none of the stages of blood sampling in serum Superoxide dismutase values, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). And finally in the second, third, fourth, and fifth blood sampling stages between the two groups in serum Malondialdehyde values there was a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05) but in the first stages of blood sampling there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).

It seems that consumption of the Inflamma-X supplement can be beneficial for preventing oxidative damage and even facilitating the recovery period between every wrestling competition.

Studying the causes of infertility and appropriate interventions to protect male fertility is a valuable help to patients who suffer from infertility. There are various causes that can lead to male fertility disorder, including age, drugs, exposure to environmental toxins, genetic problems, and systemic diseases. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid: ASA) is one of the most widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NASID) in the world, which reduces male fertility. In addition, physical activity can affect male infertility. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of resistance training on serum testosterone levels and some of the most important reproductive parameters in adult male Wistar rats consuming ASA.

A total of twenty-five adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control (n=10, C) and the drug administration groups (n=15, AS). After five weeks, five rats from each group were sacrificed and the effect of ASA consumption on serum testosterone level and male reproductive parameters was investigated. After the period of taking the drug and confirming the impact of the ASA drug, its use was stopped and the remaining rats entered the training period. During the training period, the remaining 10 rats were randomly divided from the AS group into the non-intervention group (n=5, NI) and the resistance training group (n=5, RT). Resistance training was performed three times a week for four weeks. Twenty-four hours after the last training session, rats were sacrificed and serum and tissue samples were collected. t-test was used to analyze the difference between groups in the period of drug use. In the training period, the data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test at a significance level of less than 0.05 in SPSS 24 software.

The findings showed that five weeks of ASA consumption led to a significant decrease in serum testosterone levels and cell counts. (P < 0.05) Also, the number, motility, viability of sperm, TDI, SI, RI, as well as a significant increase in the immature nucleus and fragmentation of sperm DNA were abiserved.(P < 0.001). In addition, it was observed that four weeks of resistance training in RT group rats significantly improved the negative changes of ASA drug use compared to the NI group and accelerated the recovery of these changes to the level of the CI group (P < 0/05). However, no significant changes in sperm motility were observed between the research groups during the training period (P > 0.05).

The results of the present study confirm the harmful changes of ASA drug on testosterone hormone and male reproductive parameters. In addition, the findings showed that resistance training may improve and recover the harmful effect of ASA on the parameters related to the male reproductive system.

One of the appropriate strategies for combating the adverse effects of oxidative stress caused by strenuous activities is consuming a well-balanced diet and taking antioxidant supplements. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of jujube extract consumption during two types of intermittent and intense endurance training on antioxidant indices and oxidative stress of the liver tissue of immature male rats.

72 male Wistar rats (aged= 22 days, weight= 60.64 ± 7.475 g) were randomly divided into nine groups after being weighed: control, placebo, jujube, intense endurance training (ICT), ICT + placebo, ICT + jujube gavage, high-intensity interval training (HIT), HIT + placebo gavage, HIT + jujube gavage. After a week of general and specific familiarization, the ICT protocol including running on the treadmill for four weeks (five sessions per week) with progressive duration and intensity and following the principle of exercise overload was implemented on an animal treadmill. So that the speed in the first week was equal to 10-18 meters per minute and its duration was 10-30 minutes, and in the last week the training speed reached 30 meters per minute and its duration was 55-60 minutes. The HIT training protocol was also carried out in the form of training with the pattern of seven-day courses (six days of training and one day of rest to prevent overtraining). Based on the principle of overload, training was applied in such a way that the training speed in the familiarization week was equal to 10-16 meters per minute and its duration was one minute, and in the last week the training speed reached 36-40 meters per minute (equivalent to about 85% of Vo2max). Distilled water was given to the placebo groups, and 600 mg/kg of jujube extract was given daily to the jujube groups after training. The activity of GPX, SOD, CAT enzymes, TAC and MDA was assayed by spectrophotometric method using diagnostic ELISA kit. ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test were used to analyze the data.

The results showed that ICT and HIT significantly decreased MDA activity (P < 0.05). However, ICT and HIT did not affect the activity levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPX) and TAC (P > 0.05). On the other hand, HIT training significantly increased CAT enzyme (P < 0.05). The results also showed that groups with jujube gavage did not have a significant effect on the activity levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPX, CAT), TAC and MDA (P > 0.05).

it seems that ICT, HIT moderates oxidative indices, and HIT training improves the antioxidant index CAT in immature rats.