Effect of Combined Aerobic and Resistance Exercise Training on Rho-Associated Protein Kinase of Adipose Tissue and Insulin Resistance Index in Aged Female Rats

Introduction: Rho-Associated Protein Kinase (ROCK) is one of the members of serine-threonine protein kinases family playing a major role in the regulation of glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. The present study aimed to assess the effect of eight weeks of combined aerobic and resistance training on adipose tissue levels of ROCKs protein, insulin, fast blood sugar (FBS), insulin resistance index, and weight in aged female rats. Method: A total of 22 rats (24-28 weeks old, 262.5±15.10 gr) were randomly assigned to two groups of experimental and control (11 ones in each). Rats in experimental group participated in eight weeks of combined aerobic (running on treadmill at intensity of 40%-60% of maximum velocity, 60 minutes) and resistance training (15 times of climbing on ladder at intensity of 40%-60% of maximum workload with 1 minute of rest interval, 45 minutes), five days per week. All rats were dissected after the last training session, and the investigated indicators were evaluated. Results: Eight weeks of combined training resulted in significant increases in adipose tissue levels of ROCK1 (P=0.000) and ROCK2 (P=0.001), apart from significant decreases in FBS (P=0.001) and body weight (P=0.001) in the experimental compared to the control group. According to the paired t-test, weight decreased in experimental group in post-test compared to pre-test (P=0.004). Conclusion: Although glucose uptake improved following eight weeks of combined aerobic and resistance training in old female rats, it seems that the increases in adipose tissue levels of ROCK proteins could not contribute to improving insulin sensitivity in response to exercise training.