Effects of TABATA Exercise Volume and Royal Jelly Supplementation on NLRP3 Inflammasome and lncRNA-H19 Expression in Obese Men

Background: Both coding and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as vital regulators in almost every cellular process, and their expression can be modulated by external stimuli, such as physical exercise. Objectives: The current research aimed to investigate the effects of different volumes of TABATA-high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercises combined with royal jelly (RJ) supplementation on the NLRP3 inflammasome and lncRNA-H19 expression in obese males. Methods: Forty-two healthy men [Body Mass Index (BMI) = 30 kg/m², waist-to-hip ratio = 0.95, age range: 40 - 60 years] volunteered to participate in the study. The individuals were randomly divided into five experimental groups (N = 35) and one control + placebo group (N = 7). The high-volume (HV) or low-volume (LV) TABATA exercise programs were performed twice a week for 8 weeks. Participants in the RJ supplementation groups received a 1000 mg capsule once a day for 8 weeks. The expression of NLRP3 and lncRNA-H19 genes was evaluated using the real-time PCR method. Results: The NLRP3 gene expression in the Bruce test, measured before and after the 8-week exercise interventions and RJ supplementation, showed insignificant changes across the different groups. However, the H19 gene expression in the Bruce test showed a significant reduction in the HV-TABATA HIIT intervention groups, which was more pronounced than in the LV groups after 8 weeks: HV group (P = 0.004), RJ group (P = 0.001), HV + RJ group (P = 0.007), and LV + RJ group (P = 0.002). After 8 weeks of non-pharmacological interventions involving exercise training and supplementation, a significant decrease in NLRP3 and a significant increase in H19 gene expression were detected in the HV group compared to the LV group (P = 0.05 and P = 0.010). Significant improvement was also found in the resting H19 levels between the RJ and LV groups (P = 0.011) and the LV + RJ group (P = 0.44). Moreover, a significant reduction in resting NLRP3 gene expression was observed between the RJ + LV and LV groups (P = 0.038). Conclusions: Chronic HV TABATA HIIT exercise, when combined with RJ supplementation, is effective in attenuating inflammatory responses to acute stress.