Effect of High-intensity Intermittent Swimming Training on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors-αand Liver Enzymes in Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis Male Rats

Introduction: Accumulation of fat in the liver tissue is known as the most important cause of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, which is associated with a decrease in the protein of hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR-α). This study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIST) on PPAR-α and liver enzymes in high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis rats. 
Methods: The current research was semi-experimental. 40 Spraguedauli male rats (age: 6 to 8 weeks and weight: 230 ± 20 grams) were selected and divided into two equal groups, healthy and high-fat diet (HFD). The HFD group was subjected to gavage for eight weeks with the aim of inducing the disease. Rats were divided into four groups: control-healthy (n=9), healthy-swimming (n=9), control- disease (n=9) and disease -swimming (n=9). The training groups performed HIST for eight weeks (three sessions per week, each session lasting 30 minutes). In the end, liver PPAR-α was measured by western blot analysis; and ALT, AST and GGT enzymes in serum level were measured by photometric method. One-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni's post hoc test were used to analyze the data. Significant level (P≥0.05) and all statistical methods were performed using SPSS16 software. 
Results: HIST controlled the weight gain caused by HFD and there was a significant decrease in serum ALT and AST in the healthy-swimming and sick-swimming groups compared to the control-patient group and a significant decrease in serum GGT in the healthy-swimming group compared to the control-patient (P≤0.001) and patient-swimming (P≤0.044) were observed. A significant increase in hepatic PPAR-α was observed in healthy-swimming patients compared to the control-patients (P≤0.002). 
Conclusion: HIST can control body weight and reduce liver enzymes. However, more research is needed to obtain definitive results.