Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Journal of Eexercise & Organ Cross Talk

High-intensity interval training and royal jelly synergistically attenuate insulin resistance and renal inflammatory markers (TNF-α and NF-κB) in experimental diabetes

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Masoumeh Zhalechin 1
Hossein Abednatanzi 1
Shahram Soheily 2
Farshad Ghazalian 1

1 Department of physical education and sport sciences, SR.C., Islamic Azad university, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22122/jeoct.2025.542832.1166
Abstract
Exercise and the use of anti-inflammatory supplements are effective in controlling inflammation and tissue damage in diabetes. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of interval training and royal jelly on the expression of renal inflammatory genes and insulin resistance in diabetic rats. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were used in this study. Diabetes was induced by a high-fat diet for 20 weeks followed by intraperitoneal injection of freshly prepared STZ solution in saline (25 mg/kg). Then the rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: Diabetes (DI), DI+ HIIT, DI+ royal jelly (RJ), and DI+ HIIT+ RJ. Royal jelly groups were given royal jelly at a dose of 100 mg/kg diluted in distilled water and gavage 5 days a week. The exercise program consisted of eight weeks of HIIT training, five sessions per week with a gradual increase in intensity intervals from 22 to 38 meters per minute (80 to 90% of Vo2max) and rest intervals at a speed of 16 to 22 meters per minute (50 to 56% of Vo2max). At the end of the research, rats were euthanized and kidney tissue was removed to measure the expression of TNF-α and NF-κB genes. The DI+HIIT (p=0.0006), DI+RJ (p=0.0011) and DI+HIIT+RJ (p<0.0001) groups showed a significant decrease in HOMA-IR compared to the diabetes control group. The DI+HIIT, DI+RJ and DI+HIIT+RJ groups showed a significant decrease in TNF-α and NF-κB gene expression in kidney tissue compared to the diabetes control group. In conclusion, 8 weeks of HIIT and/or royal jelly supplementation significantly ameliorated insulin resistance and suppressed renal pro-inflammatory gene expression (TNF-α, NF-κB) in diabetic rats, with the combined approach showing the greatest efficacy.

What is already known on this subject?

Insulin resistance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes and frequently present in kidney disease, worsens renal outcomes through several mechanisms.

 

What this study adds?

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and royal jelly (RJ), individually and in combination, effectively improve insulin resistance and attenuate renal inflammation in diabetic rats.

Keywords

Kidney
Inflammation
Insulin resistance
Diabetes

Subjects

Acknowledgements

None

Funding

No sources of funding were sought or awarded for this study.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Azad University of Science and Research under the ethics code IR.IAU.SRB.REC.1402.292.

Informed consent Animal study.

Author contributions

Conceptualization: M.Zh, F.Gh, S.Sh, H.A.,; Methodology: M.Zh, F.Gh,;  Software: S.Sh, H.A,; Validation: S.Sh, H.A,; Formal analysis: M.Zh, F.Gh,; Investigation: S.Sh, H.A,;   Resources: S.Sh, H.A,; Data curation: S.Sh, H.A,; Writing - original draft: M.Zh, F.Gh,; Writing - review & editing: M.Zh, F.Gh,; Visualization: S.Sh, H.A,;  Supervision: H.A,; Project administration: M.Zh, F.Gh,; Funding acquisition: H.A.  

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Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Volume 5, Issue 2
Spring 2025
Pages 75-83

  • Receive Date 22 March 2025
  • Revise Date 03 June 2025
  • Accept Date 04 June 2025

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