Can regular moderate exercise lead to changes in miRNA-146a and its adapter proteins in the kidney of streptozotocin-induced diabetic male rats?

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess whether microRNA-146a and its adapter proteins TNF receptor associated factor6 (TRAF6) and interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-1 (IRAK1) may be changed in the kidney of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, following regular moderate exercise.

METHODS

Forty adult male Wistar rats were allocated randomly into four groups (n=10), including sedentary control (SC), sedentary diabetic (SD), healthy sixty-day exercise (H60E), and diabetic sixty-day exercise (D60E) groups. Diabetes was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg streptozotocin. After 48 h, blood glucose levels >250 mg/dl was included to diabetic rats. After 2 days of diabetes induction, the exercise protocol began. Animals were exposed to 5 days of consecutive treadmill exercise for 60 min/day with the 22 m/min speed for 60 days. The kidneys of the rats were removed and microRNA was extracted from them using the miRCURYTM RNA isolation kit.

RESULTS

In diabetic rats, statistical analysis revealed a significant decrease in miR-146a expression, non-significant decrease in IRAK1 mRNA expression, and non-significant increase in TRAF6 and NF-kB mRNA expression compared to the SC group. Exercise led to a non-significant increase in the expression of miR-146a and NF-kB mRNA in the kidneys of the diabetic group as compared to the SD group, significant increase in TRAF6 and IRAK1 mRNA expression compared to the H60E group, and significant increase in TRAF6 mRNA expression compared to the SD group.

CONCLUSION

The present data indicate that exercise might be able to help in the prevention in the diabetic nephropathy development.