Effect of 4 Weeks of Moderate-Intensity Endurance Exercise and Lithium Administration on Blood Glucose Level in STZ-Induced Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Mice

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of short-term endurance exercise and lithium treatment on fasting blood glucose in rats with type 1 diabetes (T1DM).METHODS: Ten-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were induced with T1DM using streptozotocin (STZ) injection. They were then randomly assigned to five groups and treated for a total of 4 weeks. For lithium treatment, 10 mg/kg LiCl was orally administered once a day, 5 days a week, and endurance exercise was performed at 21 m/minutes for 60 minutes, 5 days a week. After four weeks of treatment, blood and the plantaris muscle were extracted under anesthesia, and blood glucose and biomolecular factors were analyzed.RESULTS: 4 weeks of moderate-intensity endurance exercise significantly reduced fasting blood glucose in T1DM mice, increased the expression of GLUT4 in skeletal muscle, and significantly decreased the expression of dynamin, a GLUT4 endocytosis-related factor. Endurance exercise significantly increased mitochondrial biosynthesis in the skeletal muscles and significantly reduced the expression of the MAPK family. However, no biochemical or physiological changes were associated with lithium alone or in combination.CONCLUSIONS: 4 weeks of moderate-intensity endurance exercise improves fasting blood sugar levels through positive changes in glycemic control factors in the skeletal muscle. However, lithium treatment has no resultant effect. These results are thought to have been influenced by the decrease in the expression of the MAPK family and the increase in mitochondrial biosynthesis by endurance exercise for 4 weeks. However, further research is required to establish a clear causal relationship.