Effects of Eight Weeks of Swimming Training on Fetuin-A, FGF21 Levels, and Oxidative Stress in Liver Tissue of Mice with Type 2 Diabetes

Zare, Mozhgan; Farsi, Sirous; Shaker, Ali

Volume 18, Issue 3 (8-2026) IJDO 2026, 18(3): 208-218 | Back to browse issues page

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Zare M, Farsi S, Shaker A. Effects of Eight Weeks of Swimming Training on Fetuin-A, FGF21 Levels, and Oxidative Stress in Liver Tissue of Mice with Type 2 Diabetes. IJDO 2026; 18 (3) :208-218
URL: http://ijdo.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-1062-en.html

Effects of Eight Weeks of Swimming Training on Fetuin-A, FGF21 Levels, and Oxidative Stress in Liver Tissue of Mice with Type 2 Diabetes

Mozhgan Zare

, Sirous Farsi

, Ali Shaker ^*

Department of Exercise Physiology, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.

Abstract: (24 Views)

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of swimming training on Fetuin-A, FGF21, and oxidative stress levels in the liver tissue of type 2 diabetic mice.
Materials and Methods: A total of 32 male BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to four groups: healthy control (HC), healthy training (HT), diabetic control (DC) and diabetic training (DT). Type 2 diabetes was induced using a high fat diet combined with streptozotocin. Swimming sessions were conducted five days/week over eight weeks with progressive intensity. Liver samples were harvested 48 hours after the final session. Fetuin-A and FGF21 gene expression were measured via real-time PCR, and ROS levels were quantified using a fluorescence assay. One-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test was used for comparisons (P≤ 0.05).
Results: Diabetes induction significantly increased Fetuin-A, FGF21, and ROS levels in the DC group compared to the HC group (P< 0.001). The adaptation resulting from eight weeks of swimming training in the diabetic exercise group probably decreased Fetuin-A and ROS and increased FGF21 (P< 0.001). In the HT group, decreased Fetuin-A and increased FGF21 were also observed compared to the HC group (P< 0.001).
Conclusion: Swimming training modulates key hepatokines(decreasing Fetuin-A and increasing FGF21) and reduces oxidative stress, thereby creating a more favorable metabolic environment in the liver of diabetic mice. These findings in the studied group suggest that swimming training could probably be considered as a non-pharmacological strategy.

Keywords: Type 2 diabetes, Swimming training, Fetuin-A, FGF21, Oxidative stress, Liver

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2026/08/22 | Accepted: 2026/08/19 | Published: 2026/08/19

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