The Effect of Eight Weeks of Combined High Intensity Interval Training on Intrahepatic PGC-۱α and PEPCK Protein in Male Rats with Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the non-communicable metabolic diseases with high prevalence worldwide. Therefore, treatment strategies for this disease are very important. This research aimed to examine the effect of eight weeks of combined high-intensity interval training on intrahepatic PGC-۱α and PEPCK protein in male rats with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Methods: Forty rats aged ۶ to ۸ weeks were divided into two groups: healthy (n=۲۰) and high-fat diet (HFD) (n=۲۰). After eight weeks and assurance of disease induction, the HFD group was randomly divided into two groups: control-patient (n=۹) and training-patient (n=۹). The healthy group was divided into two groups: control-healthy (n=۹) and training-healthy (n=۹). Rats in the training group performed HIIT in both aquatic and land environments (Saturdays and Wednesdays in aquatic environment and Mondays on a treadmill). One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's post hoc test (P<۰.۰۵) were run to determine the difference between groups.  Results: The findings showed that intrahepatic PGC-۱α protein levels were associated with a significant increase in the healthy control group compared to the patient control (P=۰.۰۴); also, intrahepatic PEPCK protein levels were associated with a significant increase in the control-healthy group compared to the control-patient (P=۰.۰۱) group, a significant increase in the training-healthy group compared to the control-patient (P=۰.۰۰۲) and training-patient (P=۰.۰۳) groups and a significant increase in the training-patient group compared to the control-patient (P=۰.۰۳) group. Conclusion: It can be suggested that combined high intensity interval training can be effective in regulating the PGC-۱α/PEPCK mechanism, which is a potential mechanism in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver. However, further research is needed in this regard to obtain conclusive results.