en Physiology Physiology پژوهشي Research <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:9pt"><span minion="" pro="" style="font-family:"><b>Introduction</b>: This study investigates the impact of two high-intensity interval training (HIIT) programs on PGC-1&alpha;, p53, and citrate synthase (CS) proteins within cardiomyocytes of male type 2 diabetic rats, aiming to discern potential molecular mechanisms influencing cardiac health.</span></span><br> <span style="font-size:9pt"><span minion="" pro="" style="font-family:"><b>Material & Methods</b>: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to control (NC), diabetic control (DC), diabetic with type 1 HIIT (HIIT-1), and diabetic with type 2 HIIT (HIIT-2) groups. Streptozotocin (STZ) induced type 2 diabetes, excluding the NC group. A four-week HIIT intervention, six sessions per week, preceded the analysis of heart tissue for PGC-1&alpha;, p53, and CS protein levels. Statistical analysis employed GraphPad Prism software version 8 and one-way ANOVA (P < 0.05).</span></span><br> <span style="font-size:9pt"><span minion="" pro="" style="font-family:"><b>Results</b>: Both HIIT-1 (p=0.004) and HIIT-2 (p=0.007) groups exhibited significantly elevated cardiac PGC-1&alpha; levels compared to DC. CS levels increased notably in HIIT-1 (p=0.001) and HIIT-2 (p<0.001), with HIIT-2 surpassing HIIT-1 significantly (p=0.010). Concurrently, p53 levels significantly decreased in both HIIT-1 (p=0.005) and HIIT-2 (p=0.001) groups compared to DC.</span></span><br> <span style="font-size:9pt"><span minion="" pro="" style="font-family:"><b>Conclusion</b><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">: </span></span></b>Exercise training (HIIT) positively influences cardiac metabolism, evident in PGC-1&alpha; and CS upregulation and p53 downregulation. While these findings provide valuable insights, further exploration is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. This study advances our understanding of optimizing exercise interventions for improved cardiac health in type 2 diabetes.<span lang="FA" dir="RTL" style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></span></span></div> Exercise Therapy, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Mitochondrial Diseases, PGC-1alpha, Tumor Suppressor Protein p53, Citrate (si)-Synthase 54 66 http://jbrms.medilam.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-534-7&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Nadia Khayampour nadiakhayam@yahoo.com 10031947532846006211 10031947532846006211 No Department of Exercise Physiology, Physical Education Faculty, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Maghsoud Peeri m.peeri@iauctb.ac.ir 10031947532846006212 10031947532846006212 Yes Department of Exercise Physiology, Physical Education Faculty, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Ali Azarbayjani m_azarbayjani@iauctb.ac.ir 10031947532846006213 10031947532846006213 No Department of Exercise Physiology, Physical Education Faculty, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran