The effect of the eighth week of aerobic training on the autophagy proteins AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), autophagy-activating kinase 1 (ULK1), and autophagy-activating kinase 2 (ULK2) in the fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
salman nosrati 1
Neda Aghaei Bahmanbegloo 1
hamed alizadeh pahlavani 2
1 Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Aliabad Katol Unit, Islamic Azad University, Aliabad Katol, Iran
2 Department of Physical Education, Farhangian University, P.O. Box 14665-889, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/pjms.2026.2090694.1288
Abstract
Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of eight weeks of aerobic training on the levels of AMPK, ULK1, and ULK2 proteins in the fast-twitch EDL muscle of aged rats.

Methods: This study was of an experimental-basic type with experimental and control groups, in which 12 elderly male rats with an age of about 20 months and an average weight of 400±30 grams were selected and then divided into two aerobic training and control groups. The training group performed a program including warm-up, main activity with an intensity of about 45 to 50% VO2max, and cool-down for eight weeks. The Shapiro-Wilk test and independent t-test were used to analyze the data.

Results: The results showed that aerobic training significantly increased the levels of AMPK and ULK1 in the EDL muscle (p=0.001 and p=0.005); but no significant change was observed in the levels of ULK2 between the two groups (p=0.018).

Conclusion: The findings indicate that aerobic exercise can activate AMPK and ULK1 factors in the EDL muscle of aged rats and may play a role in the initiation of molecular adaptations related to autophagy, although a different intensity, duration, or type of exercise may be required to fully stimulate the autophagy pathway.
Keywords
endurance exercise
autophagy
aging
fast-twitch muscle