The effect of exercise training on fatty acid binding protein 4 expression in diabetic rats

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that leads to metabolic disorders as a result of either insulin deficiency or the ineffective utilization of insulin in the body. It is hypothesized that the Fabkin hormone may counteract diabetes through its effects on the disease. In the treatment of diabetes, both aerobic and resistance exercises provide cardiovascular and metabolic benefits. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of regular exercise on the expression levels of FABP4, ADK, and NDPK in skeletal muscle, adipose, and liver tissues in an experimental model of type 2 diabetes in male rats. In this study, 32 male Wistar rats (8–12 weeks old) were used. The rats were randomly divided into four groups: control (n = 6), diabetes (n = 10), exercise (n = 6), and diabetes + exercise (n = 10). The rats in the diabetes and diabetes + exercise groups were fed a high-fat diet for 4 weeks, after which they received an intraperitoneal injection of 35 mg/kg streptozotocin. After diabetes was confirmed, the animals in the exercise and diabetes + exercise groups underwent a swimming exercise regimen for 4 weeks. Throughout the study, the diabetic groups continued on the high-fat diet. At the end of the experiment, intracardiac blood samples were collected under anesthesia, and the rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation to collect skeletal muscle, liver, and adipose tissues. The expressions of FABP4, ADK, and NDPK in the collected tissues were analyzed using RT-PCR, while serum insulin levels were measured by ELISA. The results showed that serum insulin levels were significantly elevated in the diabetes group compared to the control group (p ≤ 0.05) and were significantly lower in both the exercise and diabetes + exercise groups compared to the diabetes group (p ≤ 0.05). In adipose tissue, the expression levels of FABP4 and ADK were higher in the diabetes group relative to the control group (p ≤ 0.05). Additionally, the expression levels of NDPK in muscle and adipose tissues were higher in both the exercise and diabetes + exercise groups compared to the diabetes group (p ≤ 0.05).