Effect of chronic exercise on ZFAND3 gene expression and lipid peroxidation in liver tissue in a diabetic old female rat model

Due to its critical importance in glucose metabolism, the liver has been chosen as the therapeutic organ in the treatment of diabetes. However, the relationship of ZFAND3 (Zinc finger AN1-type domain 3), a zinc finger protein, with the liver in diabetic rats has been investigated in only one study. The aim of this study is to investigate how moderate chronic exercise affects ZFAND3 gene expression and lipid peroxidation in liver tissue in an elderly diabetic female rat model. This study was carried out on aged female Wistar rats (16 months old). The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee. A total of 40 old female rats were divided into 4 equal groups. Group 1, Control. Group 2, Exercise Control. Group 3, Diabetes. Group 4, Diabetes+Exercise. Diabetes was induced in the animals of groups 3 and 4 by intraperitoneal administration of 40 mg/kg streptozotocin. Animals in groups 2 and 4 were subjected to chronic running exercise for 45 minutes daily on a rat treadmill for 4 weeks. 24 hours after the last running exercise, the experimental animals were sacrificed under general anesthesia and liver tissue samples were taken. ZFAND3 gene expression was determined by PCR method in the liver tissue samples taken, and MDA and GSH levels were determined by ELISA method. The lowest ZFAND3 gene expression and GSH levels in liver tissue were obtained in the diabetes group (G3) (p<0.05). The same values of the diabetic exercise group (G4) were higher than G3 (p<0.05) and lower than the control groups (G1 and G2) (p<0.05). The highest liver ZFAND3 gene expression and GSH values were obtained in the exercise control (G2) group (p<0.05). The highest MDA levels in our study occurred in the diabetes group (G3) (p<0.05). Liver MDA levels of exercised diabetic rats were significantly lower than G3 (p<0.05) but higher than control groups (p<0.05). We found the lowest liver MDA values in our study in the exercise control (G2) group (p<0.05). In the current study, increased MDA and suppressed GSH levels in diabetic aged female rat liver were reversed by 4 weeks of chronic exercise. In our study, we obtained liver ZFAND3 gene expression values that increased with chronic exercise in both the control exercise group (G2) with chronic exercise and the diabetic group (G4) with chronic exercise. This result we obtained shows that the pathological processes that occur in diabetes can be prevented by increasing the liver ZFAND3 gene expression, which is suppressed in the diabetic old female rat model, with chronic exercise. Chronic exercise may be an activator that increases liver ZFAND3 gene expression level. August 2024, …. Page Key Words: Aged female rat, Diabetes, Chronic exercise, Liver, ZFAND3, Lipid peroxid