Background: The myostatin/SMAD pathway is one of the most important regulatory pathways in heart muscle cells atrophy. Diabetes can disorder this pathway. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of six weeks of endurance training on the content myostatin and SMAD2/3 proteins in the left ventricular tissue of the heart muscle of type 1 diabetic rats.
Methods: In this study, 12 head 2-month-old male Sprague-Dawley male rats with a mean weight of 300±20 g were selected. After induction of diabetes through streptozotocin solution, they were randomly divided into 2 groups: diabetic endurance training (6 heads) and diabetic control (6 heads); The training groups performed the training program 4 days a week for 6 weeks, including 32 minutes of endurance
training with an intensity of about 50 to 70% of the maximum speed; SPSS software version 23 and independent t-test were used to analyze the data. Significance level was considered p≤0.05.
Findings: Endurance training resulted in a significant decrease in myostatin (P=0.024) and SMAD2/3 (P=0.001) proteins content between training and control groups in myocardial tissue.
Conclusion: It can be said that endurance training by reducing the content of myostatin and SMAD2/3 proteins in the left ventricle of the heart may have been able to prevent cardiac atrophy in type 1 diabetic subjects. This reduction can lead to physiological cardiac hypertrophy.
