Effect of a 6-week Aerobic Exercise Program on High-mobility Group Box 1 Gene Expression in Aortic Tissue of Diabetic Rats

Aims: Type 2 diabetes is a rising problem and a significant risk factor for small and large vessel disease. The present study aims to investigate the effect of a 6-week aerobic exercise program on High-mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) gene expression in aortic tissue of diabetic rats. Methods & Materials: In this experimental study, 40 male rats aged 8 weeks were randomly selected. Once familiarized with the exercise protocol, they were divided into four groups of healthy-control (n=10), diabetic-control (n=10), healthy-exercise (n=10), and diabetic-exercise (n=10). Type 2 diabetes was first induced, and then the rats run on a treadmill for 6 weeks, 5 sessions per week. After 12-14 h of fasting and 72 h after the last session, aortic tissue sampling was performed for HMGB1 analysis by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-RT PCR) technique. Data analysis was performed using 1-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test at the significant level of P<0.05. Findings: Induction of type 2 diabetes led to a significant increase in HMGB1 gene expression in rats (P=0.001), significantly reduced following aerobic exercise (P=0.003). Aerobic exercise also reduced the expression of the HMGB1 gene in healthy rats (P=0.000). Conclusion: Aerobic exercise may have a protective effect by reducing the HMGB1 gene expression in the aortic tissue of diabetic rats. It can be used as an effective non-pharmacological method to improve diabetes-induced inflammation and prevent vascular disorders.