The effect of Voluntary exercise on Kisspeptin and its receptors in the hypothalamus and plasma levels of gonadotropins and testosterone in diabetic and non-diabetic rats

Abstract

Diabetes type 2 is a complex, metabolic disorder that could induce male infertility. Due to the protective role of voluntary exercise, in the present study, we analyzed the effect of voluntary exercise on the reproductive axis in diabetic and non-diabetic male rats.

Methods and materials: In this study, we used 96 male Wistar rats (180-220 g). The rats were randomly allocated into eight following groups: the control group (C), voluntary exercise group (Ex), diabetic group (D), high fat diet group (HFD), diabetic-exercise group (D-Ex), high fat diet-exercise group (HFD-Ex), diabetic-high fat diet group (D-HFD), and diabetic-high fat diet-exercises group (D-HFD-Ex). Diabetes type 2 was induced with a high fat diet regimen for one month and a subsequent intraperitoneal injection of STZ at the dose of 35 mg/kg. Voluntary exercise protocol was applied by placing the animals in cages with the free-spinning wheel with a digital rotation counter. At the end of the experiment, the levels of serum gonadotropin hormones, testosterone, and leptin were assessed with ELISA and hypothalamic kisspeptin, its receptors and leptin were measured with western blot.

Results: The results showed that high fat diet regimen and diabetes could markedly reduce the levels of kisspeptin, its receptors, and reproductive hormones and could increase leptin levels. Voluntary exercise could markedly increase the levels of kisspeptin its receptors, and reproductive hormones and could decrease leptin levels.