Cardiovascular Property of Resistance Training With an Emphasis on PI۳K/AKT۱ Genes Expression in Type ۲ Diabetic Rats

Background: The potential role of exercise in physiological cardiac hypertrophy is rooted in both hormonal and genetic components. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of resistance exercise on the expression of PI۳K and AKT۱ in cardiac tissue of type ۲ diabetes (T۲D) rats and their physiological cardiac hypertrophy. Methods: First, ۲۱ male Wistar rats (۲۲۰±۲۰ g) were obese with ۶-week high-fat diet (HFD) and were randomly assigned into non-diabetes, control T۲D, and exercise diabetes groups. After inducing obesity, T۲D was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (۲۵ mg/kg) for diabetes groups. Rats in the exercise group completed a ۶-week resistance exercise program, ۵ sessions per week. PI۳K/AKT۱ expression and the weight ratio of left ventricular to heart, heart to body, and left ventricular to body were compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) between groups. Results: In response to the induction of diabetes, the expression of PI۳K/AKT۱ in heart tissue decreased significantly compared to that of non-diabetic rats (P=۰.۰۰۱ and P=۰.۰۰۱, respectively). Further, resistance training led to a significant increase in PI۳K expression (P=۰.۰۲۸) and AKT۱ (P=۰.۰۳۲) and the weight ratio of left ventricular to heart (P=۰.۰۰۱), heart to the body (P=۰.۰۰۱), and left ventricular to the body (P=۰.۰۰۱) compared to control diabetic rats. Conclusion: Resistance training is associated with physiological cardiac hypertrophy in diabetic rats, and this improvement may be attributed to the PI۳K/AKT۱ signaling pathway.