Effect of voluntary exercise on autophagy-related genes in lung tissue of high-fat diet-induced obese rats

Abstract

To date, multiple beneficial effects of exercise have been shown in different pathological conditions such as pulmonary diseases. To be specific, few reports are targeting the therapeutic effect of exercise on HFD-induced lung injury. In this study, effect of voluntary exercise on autophagy-related genes in lung tissue of high-fat diet-fed rats were examined. Methods: Forty rats were allocated into four groups; normal diet (C); normal diet +exercise (EX); high-fat-diet (HFD), and high-fat-diet + exercise (HFD + EX). After three months, levels of TNF-α in the bronchoalveolar fluid, pathological changes and the expression of IL-6 and autophagy-related genes in lung tissue was investigated. Results: Data showed pathological changes in lung tissue of HFD group coincided with the increase of TNF-α levels in the bronchoalveolar fluid and up-regulation of IL-6, Becline-1, LC3 and P62 in the HFD group compared to the C group. Voluntary exercise inhibited HFD-induced changes.