Effects of MICT and HIIT on mitochondrial dynamics-related proteins in visceral adipose tissue of type 2 diabetic rats

Rahimi, MR ORCID: 0000-0002-4302-1472, Davies, IG ORCID: 0000-0003-3722-8466, Golpasandi, H ORCID: 0000-0002-3499-7369 and Fatahi, N (2026) Effects of MICT and HIIT on mitochondrial dynamics-related proteins in visceral adipose tissue of type 2 diabetic rats. Biological Research.

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Abstract

Background
Adipose tissue, as an endocrine gland, significantly influences the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) through mitochondrial dysfunction. This study examined the effects of two exercise training types on mitochondrial dynamic protein content in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) of T2DM-induced rats.

Methods
Male Wistar rats (total n = 40; 8–10 weeks old, ~ 220 g) were used. Thirty-two rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks and received streptozotocin (STZ) to induce type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Eight additional rats were maintained on standard chow as the healthy control group (NC, n = 8). The diabetic rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 8 each): diabetic control (DC), diabetes + MICT (MICT + D), and diabetes + HIIT (HIIT + D). All animals (total n = 40) completed the study and were included in the analyses. MICT involved 8 weeks of training (5 sessions/week, 50 min at 60% maximal speed), while HIIT consisted of 8 weeks (5 sessions/week, 4–7 sets of 4 min at 80–90% maximal speed). Western blot analysis revealed significant increases in mitochondrial fission proteins (Drp-1: 238%, Fis-1: 99%) in the DC group compared to HC (p < 0.05).

Results
Both MICT and HIIT significantly reduced Drp-1 (53.55%, 77.81%) and Fis-1 (16.08%, 36.18%) while increasing MFN-2 (26.25%, 57.50%) and OPA-1 (66.10%, 103.39%) compared to DC. HIIT showed greater changes than MICT (p < 0.05). Additionally, fasting serum glucose and HOMA-IR levels were significantly lower in both exercise groups (p < 0.001).

Conclusions
In conclusion, Type 2 diabetes causes changes in the levels of proteins regulating mitochondrial fission and fusion in visceral adipose tissue, which can be improved through MICT and HIIT training, potentially increasing aerobic capacity and glucose metabolism.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	06 Biological Sciences; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; 31 Biological sciences
Subjects:	Q Science > QP Physiology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV561 Sports
Divisions:	Sport and Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	Springer
Date of acceptance:	8 April 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	28 April 2026
Date Deposited:	28 Apr 2026 10:46
Last Modified:	28 Apr 2026 10:46
DOI or ID number:	10.1186/s40659-026-00694-x
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28485

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