Swimming training alleviated insulin resistance through Wnt3a/β-catenin signaling in type 2 diabetic rats

Abstract

<strong><em>Objective(s): </em></strong>Increasing evidence suggests that regular physical exercise improves type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the potential beneficial effects of swimming on insulin resistance and lipid disorder in T2DM, and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear.<br /> <strong><em>Materials and Methods:</em></strong> Rats were fed with high fat diet and given a low dosage of Streptozotocin (STZ) to induce T2DM model, and subsequently treated with or without swimming exercise. An 8-week swimming program (30, 60 or 120 min per day, 5 days per week) decreased body weight, fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin.<br /> <strong><em>Results: </em></strong>Swimming ameliorated lipid disorder, improved muscular atrophy and revealed a reduced glycogen deposit in skeletal muscles of diabetic rats. Furthermore, swimming also inhibited the activation of Wnt3a/<em>β</em>-catenin signaling pathway, decreased Wnt3a mRNA and protein level, upregulated GSK3<em>β</em> phosphorylation activity and reduced the expression of β-catenin phosphorylation in diabetic rats.<br /> <strong><em>Conclusion:</em></strong> The trend of the result suggests that swimming exercise proved to be a potent ameliorator of insulin resistancein T2DM through the modulation of Wnt3a/<em>β</em>-catenin pathway and therefore, could present a promising therapeutic measure towards the treatment of diabetes and its relatives.