Effect of Aerobic and Interval Training on Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1, GATA4 Gene, and Cardiac Structure

Introduction: Physical activity causes cardiac hypertrophy by a non-pathological change in cardiac structure, called physiological hypertrophy. Several molecular changes are involved in this process. Insulin-like growth hormone-1 (IGF-1) is an important hormone involved in hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes. Also, the role of GATA4 as a possible gene involved in cardiac hypertrophy is controversial. Therefore, the present study was conducted to find the effect of aerobic and interval training on IGF-1, GATA4 gene, and cardiac tissue. Methods: Eighteen male Wistar rats (243.72 ± 23.41 g) were randomly divided into control, aerobic, and interval training groups (n = 6). The aerobic group trained for 8 weeks/4 days a week/38 minutes/ 65% of maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max). The intermittent group trained 8 weeks/4 days a week/5 set/4 minutes/85-90% of VO2 max running with 2 minutes rest between the sets. The weight of the heart and left ventricle, IGF-1 concentration, and GATA4 gene expression were measured 48 hours after the training. The evaluation was conducted with a one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The weight of the heart and left ventricle increased significantly in trained groups. IGF-1 and GATA4 gene expression increased in both the training groups than the control group. Conclusions: Aerobic and Interval training increases IGF-1, GATA4 gene, left ventricle, and heart weight. Considering the shorter time interval training takes, it seems that interval training is more beneficial than aerobic training.