BACKGROUND:The animal model of high fat diet-induced obesity is the first choice for the study of human obesity. Leptin and its receptor expression play an important role in the high fat diet-induced obesity and obesity resistant, but the exact mechanism and the role of swimming are not clear.
OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of 7-week swimming on serum leptin and leptin receptor expression in hypothalamus in rats with high fat diets.
METHODS:A total of 60 Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with high fat diets for 8 weeks. Thediet-induced obeseand obese resistant rats were selected based on the body weight. 14 obese rats were equaly divided into two groups: obese group and obese-exercise group; and 14 obese resistant rats were equaly divided into two groups: obese resistantgroup and obese resistant-exercise group. Al the rats were continualy given high fat diets. Exercise groups accepted free swimming training for 7 weeks at the same time.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the obese group, obese-exercise group had obviously decreased in body weight, fat pad weight, fat pad weight/body weight and serum leptin concentration. And obese-exercise group had obviously increased receptor mRNA expression in hypothalamus. There was no significant change in above indexes betweenthe obese resistant group and obese resistant-exercise group. Theresults showed that swimming exercise can increase energy consumption and improve metabolism, which decreased the concentration of leptin and effectively improved leptin receptor expressionin the hypothalamus to ease leptin resistance and improve the body’s metabolism.