Qom University of Medical Sciences Journal

Background and Objectives: Diabetes is one of the most important metabolic diseases, which its incidence rate has increased in recent years. In this disease, the insulin function is impaired, leading to several complications. Physical exercise and medicinal plants are considered as a way to control diabetes along with nutrition and medicine. The present study was conducted with the purpose of determining the effect of aerobic training and use of arbutin on cardiac nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor-α and vessel endothelial growth factor in male diabetic rats.

Methods: In this experimental study, 42 male adult Wistar rats (age, 8 weeks; weight, 190-220g), were randomly divided into 6 groups of 7 each (control, arbutin, diabetic, diabetic+training, diabetic+arbutin, and diabetic+training+arbutin). Training programs included 5 days of swimming per week for 6 weeks. Sampling from the heart was performed 72 hours after the last training session and arbutin consumption to analyze NO, TNF-α and VEGF. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA at the significance level p≤0.05.

Results: Aerobic training along with use of arbutin led to increased levels of NO and VEGF and decreased level of TNF-α in cardiac tissue of diabetic rats (p<0.001).

Conclusion: The results indicated that a period of regular aerobic training and use of arbutin can be considered as an appropriate non-medicinal method to control diabetes mellitus type 2 through decrease in inflammatory factors.