Objective: It is well documented that exercise training (ET) imposes beneficial effects on diabetes mellitus and its complication such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Regarding the importance of tropomodulin-2 (TMOD2) in nervous system plasticity, this protein may be recognized as a candidate mechanism for ET-induced neuroplasticity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ET on cerebellar gene expression of TMOD2 in rats with DPN.
Materials and Methods: Animals were randomly divided into three groups: healthy control (C), diabetic control (DC) and diabetic trained (DT). Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Behavioral nociception assessment was carried out by Von Frey Filaments and tail-flick tests. TMOD2 gene expression was assessed by real time-PCR.
Results: The mRNA levels of TMOD2 increased to 0.50-fold (P-value: 0.005) in comparison of the sedentary controls after 6 weeks of DPN. Also, TMOD2 gene expression in DT group was decreased to -0.68-fold changes in comparison of the C group (P-value: 0.001). In addition, the TMOD2 gene expression in DT group was lower than the DC group (P-value: 0.0001).
Conclusion: The TMOD2 mRNA level in rat’s cerebellum was affected by ET and DPN, but its exact physiological roles were not clarified. Hence, identifying the importance of TMOD2 in DPN needs further research.

Keywords: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, Exercise training, Tropomodulin 2, Plasticity

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