The Effect of Aerobic Exercise & L-Carnitine Consumption on Diabetes-Induced Apoptosis & Oxidative Stress Factors in Rat

Objective: The use of non-enzymatic antioxidants in the form of dietary supplements has a positive effect on reducing oxidative stress, and preventing apoptosis as they interrupt free radicals. The aim of this study was to investigate the aerobic exercise and L-carnitine consumption impacts on diabetes induced apoptosis, oxidative stress factors, and mitochondrial enzymes in rats. Materials and Methods: In this Clinical trial study, 45 male Wistar rats (200-300 g) were divided into six groups including sham, healthy control, diabetic control, diabetic & L-carnitine, diabetic & aerobic exercise, diabetic receiving L-carnitine & aerobic exercise . The rats attained a diabetic state with a single dose of STZ intraperitoneal injection (55 mg/kg body weight) and receiving L-carnitine 100 mg per day. The aerobic exercise protocol including five sessions per week was administered. The heart tissues of the dependent variables were measured by ELISA 24 hours after the last session of the exercise program. One-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test at P-value< 0.05 were used to analyze the data. Results: result show that aerobic exercise and L-carnitine consumption have a significant effect on BAX (P-value= 0.001), Bcl-2 (P-value= 0.001), and SOD (P-value= 0.001) in diabetic rats. Conclusion: The results of the present study confirm the role of aerobic exercise and L-carnitine in improving the indices of apoptosis and oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic rats