Would Combination Be Better: Swimming Exercise and Intermittent Fasting Improve High-Fat Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Obese Rats via the miR-122-5p/SREBP-1c/CPT1A Pathway

Kang Yang; Chengye Liu; Jun Shao; Lingxiang Guo; Qing Wang; Zhaoxiang Meng; Xing Jin; Xianghe Chen

doi:10.2147/DMSO.S448165

Would Combination Be Better: Swimming Exercise and Intermittent Fasting Improve High-Fat Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Obese Rats via the miR-122-5p/SREBP-1c/CPT1A Pathway

Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2024 Apr 12:17:1675-1686. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S448165. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Kang Yang^#¹, Chengye Liu^#¹, Jun Shao², Lingxiang Guo², Qing Wang³, Zhaoxiang Meng^#¹, Xing Jin^#¹, Xianghe Chen^#⁴

Affiliations

¹ Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou city, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.
² Cardiovascular Disease Center, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou city, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.
³ Respiratory Department, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou city, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.
⁴ College of Physical Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou city, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Swimming and intermittent fasting can both improve obesity-induced NAFLD, but which of the two is more effective and whether the combination of the two has a superimposed effect is inconclusive.

Methods: The model of NAFLD in obese rats was established by a high-fat diet and performed swimming, intermittent fasting, and a combination of both interventions for 8 weeks. Serum lipids and enzyme activity were measured by an automatic biochemical analyzer. Liver morphostructural analysis was observed by transmission electron microscopy, and morphology was observed by HE staining. RT‒PCR was used to detect the mRNA level.

Results: Morphology and microstructure of the liver of model rats were impaired, with the upregulation of miR-122-5p, SREBP-1c, FASN and ACC1. Eight weeks of swimming exercise, intermittent fasting and the combination of both attenuate these effects, manifested by the downregulation of miR-122-5p and upregulation of CPT1A mRNA levels. There was no significant stacking effect of the combination of the swimming and intermittent fasting interventions.

Conclusion: NAFLD leads to pathology in model rats. Eight weeks of swimming exercise, intermittent fasting and the combination of both can inhibit miR-122-5p and improve hepatic lipid metabolism, while no significant additive effects of combining the interventions were found.

Keywords: NAFLD; intermittent fasting; miR-122-5p; obesity; swimming.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Scientific Research Fund of Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital (SBKY21010), Yangzhou Science and Technology Program (YZ2022099), The China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2019M661957), The Special grants from China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2021T140580), 2020 Yangzhou University ‘Highend Talent Support Program’ and 2021 Yangzhou University ‘Qinglan Project’.