Aerobic exercise affects hepatic APAF-1 gene expression in rats fed a high-fat diet

Introduction: A high-fat diet (HFD) impairs liver function by inducing pathological apoptosis. Evidence suggests that aerobic exercise modulates apoptotic signaling proteins and inhibits this process. However, the effect of aerobic exercise on hepatic apoptosis protein activator-1 (Apaf-1) gene expression in HFD-fed rats has not been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of aerobic exercise on hepatic APAF-1 gene expression in HFD-fed rats. Material & Methods: In an experimental study, 18 female Wistar rats were randomly assigned to three groups: Normal Diet Control (Control-ND), High-Fat Diet Control (Control-HFD), High-Fat Diet - Aerobic Exercise (Aerobic Exercise -HFD). Control-ND and Aerobic Exercise -HFD groups received HFD for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks during the exercise intervention. The NDC group consumed a standard diet for 8 weeks. Aerobic exercise involves treadmill running at a moderate intensity, 3 sessions/week for 4 weeks. Twenty-four hours after the final exercise session and a 12-hour fast, rats were anesthetized (ketamine/xylazine), and liver tissue was extracted for Apaf-1 gene expression analysis via Real-Time PCR. Two-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Results: Apaf-1 gene expression in the Control-HFD group was significantly higher than in the Control-ND group (P=0.001). On the other hand, Apaf-1 gene expression in the Aerobic Exercise-HFD group was significantly lower than in the Control-HFD group (P=0.003). Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it is concluded that HFD stimulates hepatocyte apoptosis by increasing Apaf-1 expression and aerobic exercise reduces Apaf-1 expression, indicating its protective role against HFD-induced hepatic apoptosis.