Effect of 8 weeks of Intense Intermittent Exercise with Thyme Extract on the Expression of Apoptosis Indicators Bax and p53 in Liver Tissue and Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetic Rats

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of exhaustive interval training combined with thyme extract supplementation on the expression of apoptosis markers Bax and P53 in liver tissue and insulin resistance in male rats with type 2 diabetes.

Methods and Materials: The study population consisted of 36 male Wistar rats. After 20 weeks of a high-fat diet and intraperitoneal injection of 25 mg/kg STZ, the rats developed diabetes. A fasting blood glucose level between 150 to 400 mg/dL indicated type 2 diabetes. The diabetic rats were then divided into four groups: control, interval training, thyme extract, and interval training-thyme extract groups. The exercise protocol consisted of eight weeks of interval training, five sessions per week, with 2-minute high-intensity intervals (2 to 8 intervals) at 80-90% VO2max and 1-minute rest intervals at 50-56% VO2max. Thyme extract was administered at a dose of 200 mg/kg dissolved in distilled water, given orally via gavage 5 days per week before exercise.

Findings: Two-way ANOVA analysis showed that the gene expression of apoptosis markers Bax and P53 in liver tissue significantly increased in the interval training and thyme extract groups compared to the diabetic control group. Moreover, the expression of these markers was significantly higher in the thyme extract group compared to the control group. However, the expression of Bax and P53 in liver tissue in the interval training and combined interval training-thyme extract groups showed a non-significant increase compared to the control group. Additionally, findings indicated an improvement in insulin resistance and glucose levels in the interval training and combined interval training-thyme extract groups, with significant results observed in the interval training group.

Conclusion: It appears that high-intensity interval training and thyme extract consumption may reduce the expression of apoptotic markers Bax and P53 in