The Effect of Eight Weeks of Combined High-Intensity Interval Training on Intrahepatic PGC-1α and PEPCK Protein in Male Rats with Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a globally prevalent, non-communicable metabolic disease. Therefore, treatment strategies for this disease are essential. This research aimed to examine the effect of eight weeks of combined high-intensity interval training on intrahepatic PGC-1α and PEPCK protein in male rats with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Methods: A total of 40 rats aged 6-8 weeks were divided into two groups: healthy (n=20) and high-fat diet (HFD) (n=20). The HFD group was randomly divided into control-patient (n=9) and training-patient (n=9) after eight weeks and assurance of disease induction. The healthy group was divided into control-healthy (n=9) and training-healthy (n=9). The training group rats performed HIIT in aquatic and land environments (Saturdays and Wednesdays in aquatic environments and Mondays on a treadmill). One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni’s post hoc test (P 0.05) were performed to determine the difference between groups.  Results: Intrahepatic PGC-1α protein levels significantly increased in the healthy control group compared to the patient control (P=0.04). In addition, intrahepatic PEPCK protein levels significantly increased in the control-healthy group (P=0.01), training-healthy (P=0.002), training-patient group (P=0.03), and training-patient (P=0.03) group compared to the control-patient group. Conclusion: Based on the results, combined high-intensity interval training can effectively regulate the PGC-1α/PEPCK mechanism, a potential mechanism for regulating glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver. However, further research is needed in this regard to obtain conclusive results.