The Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training on the Expression of PI3K and AKT1 Genes in the Skeletal Muscle of Type 2 Diabetic Rats

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the expression of PI3K and AKT1 genes in the skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic rats. For this purpose, twenty-eight male Wistar rats (220 ± 20 g) were randomly assigned to four groups: healthy control, healthy training, diabetic control, and diabetic training. Type 2 diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). The training groups performed high-intensity interval training on a treadmill for six weeks, five sessions per week. At the end of the training period, the expression levels of PI3K and AKT1 genes in the gastrocnemius muscle were measured using Real-Time PCR. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test at a significance level of 0.05. The results showed that HIIT significantly increased the expression of PI3K and AKT1 genes in the diabetic training group compared with the diabetic control group (p<0.05). A non-significant increase was also observed in the healthy groups. These findings indicate that HIIT may improve insulin sensitivity and skeletal muscle function under diabetic conditions through activation of the PI3K/AKT1 signaling pathway.