Introduction: Physical activity/exercise is a well-established therapeutic tool to protect against chronic illnesses/diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular diseases. The recent discoveries showed that the contractile activity of skeletal muscle via secretion of some peptides may link exercise training to the health-related effects of exercise interventions. For a considerable number of secreted proteins from skeletal muscle, such as Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF21), Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 (MCP-1), Interlukine-6 (IL-6), and Apelin can be a Myokine as well as an Adipokine and are secreted by Adipocytes, indeed two sides of the same coin. It seems that serum Adipo-myokines have a beneficial or an adverse effect on the target tissue. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different exercise modalities (high intensity interval training [HIIT] and combined aerobic and strength training) on novel Adipo-myokines related to insulin resistance (Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF21), Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 (MCP-1), interlukine-6 (IL-6), and Apelin) in women with type 2 diabetes.
Methodology: Fifty-two overweight and type 2 diabetic patients females (aged 45-60 years, BMI>30) with HbA1C value of 6.5% or above and fasting blood glucose≥126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l) were assessed for eligibility. Participants were assigned to HIIT group (n=17), combined training group (n=17), and control group (n=18) according to HbA1c levels. The exercises included 12 weeks of combined training and HIIT.
Results: MCP-1 concentrations changed significantly in the HIIT (p=0.001) and combined training (p=0.015) groups. The same test revealed that the differences were significant for the IL-6 in the HIIT (p<0.000) and combined training (p<0.000) groups. Data also showed significant differences in MCP-1 and IL-6 levels in the HIIT and combined training groups (p<0.05). In addition, there were no significant changes in FGF-21, Apelin, and ANGPTL4 in both groups after 12 weeks (p>0.05). ANCOVA test showed no significant differences in FGF-21 (F=0.813, p=0.451), ANGPTL4 (F = 0.948, p = 0.397), and Apelin (F=0.511, p=0.12).
Discussion: Results highlighted that exercise training independent mode of training is an effective strategy to improve some Adipo-myokines related to insulin resistance in women with type 2 diabetes.