Effects of Combined Therapy with Resveratrol, Continuous and Interval Exercises on Apoptosis and Lipid Profile in the Liver Tissue of Rats with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disorder. In this study, combined therapy with resveratrol supplementation alone or in combination with interval and continuous exercise trainings was considered on apoptosis and lipid profiles in the liver tissue of rats with NAFLD. Methods: 56 rats were divided into two groups including control and NAFLD. The NAFLD rats were then randomly divided into seven experimental groups including, patient, saline, resveratrol (RSV), continuous exercise (CT), interval exercise (IT), continuous exercise + RSV (CT+RSV), and interval exercise + RSV (IT+RSV). Apoptosis biomarkers, including liver Bax and Bcl- 2 levels, and lipid profiles including High-density lipoprotein (HDL), Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (Cho) and triglyceride (TG), were measured using specific ELISA kits. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey’s post hoc test at a significant level of 0.05. Results: Resveratrol supplementation alone or in combination with exercise trainings significantly decreased the serum LDL, Cho and TG levels (p 0.05), while this combined therapy significantly increased the HDL level (p 0.05). RSV alone or in combination with interval and continuous trainings significantly decreased Bax level (p 0.001), but significantly increased the Bcl- 2 level (p 0.001). Conclusion: NAFLD is strongly associated with liver cells apoptosis and abnormality in lipid profiles. Although resveratrol alone has an anti-apoptotic and lipid profiles modulating properties, combined therapy with interval and continuous trainings can be more effective.