Treadmill exercise during pregnancy decreases serum asprosin in rats with gestational diabetes mellitus

Objective

Asprosin is a newly discovered hormone that is primarily secreted by white adipose tissue and plays a crucial role in regulating glucose metabolism. Recent studies have shown that asprosin levels are significantly elevated in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), which suggests that it may play a role in the pathogenesis of this condition. The idea of this study was to investigate the effect of treadmill exercise during pregnancy on serum asprosin concentration in rats with GDM.

Materials and methods

Forty female Wistar rats (weighing 250–270 g) were randomly assigned into four groups: control (Ctr) group, control + Exercise (Ctr + Exc) group, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) group, and GDM + Exercise (GDM + Exc) group. Ctr + Exc and GDM + Exc groups underwent treadmill exercise during pregnancy. Maternal weight during pregnancy period, birth weight of offspring, levels of fasting blood glucose (FBS), insulin and asprosin level were measured.

Results

Serum Asprosin concentration in the GDM group was significantly higher than Ctr and Ctr + Exc groups (P < 0.0001), on the other hand, asprosin level in the GDM + Exc group was significantly lower than in the GDM group (P < 0.0001).

The weight of the GDM group was significantly higher than the Ctr and Ctr + Exc groups at 20th day of gestation (P > 0.05). Serum FBS and insulin levels in the GDM + Exc group were significantly lower than GDM group (P < 0.001 and P < 0.0001, respectively).

Conclusion

Based on the results of our study, treadmill exercise can be an effective intervention to regulate asprosin secretion and metabolism, as a preferred non-pharmacological treatment in GDM.