The Effect of 8 Weeks Endurance Training on the Content of FOXO3a‌ ‌and ‎Beclin-1 Proteins in Heart Muscle Tissue of Rats With Type 2 Diabetic

Background: The FOXO3a/Beclin-1 pathway is an important pathway in autophagy that can be impaired in diabetic patients who are prone to diabetic cardiomyopathy. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks endurance training on the content of FOXO3a and Beclin-1 proteins in heart muscle tissue of Sprague-Dawley rats with type 2 diabetic. Methods: In this experimental study, 12 two-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats with a mean weight of 270±20 g were selected. After diabetic induction with STZ and Nicotinamide, rats were randomly assigned to two groups, training and control (6 heads in group each). The training group trained for 4 days a week in accordance with the training program (each session 42 minutes, 10-30 m/m) for 8 weeks; while the control group did not have any training program. Also, rats did not receive any insulin treatment during the study period. The independent t-test was used to analyze the data. Significance level is considered p≤0.05. Findings: A significant change was not observed in the content of FOXO3a (P=0.12) and Beclin-1 (P=0.34) proteins in the training group compared to the control group. Conclusion: The results showed that endurance training did not affect the content of FOXO3a and Beclin-1 proteins. Therefore, it seems that endurance training may not affect autophagy in the heart muscle of type 2 diabetic subjects.