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Updated: Aug 23, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing Diabetes Research with Static Exercise Training in Mice
Published on: March 29, 2024
Xylooligosaccharides and aerobic training regulate metabolism and behavior in rats with streptozotocin-induced type 1
Mariya Choneva1, Michaela Shishmanova-Doseva2, Ivica Dimov1
1Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Plovdiv, 15 A, Vassil Aprilov Blvd., Plovdiv, 4002, Bulgaria.
Abstract:
Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterized with decreased microbial diversity. Gut microbiota is essential for the normal physiological functioning of many organs, especially the brain. Prebiotics are selectively fermentable oligosaccharides [xylooligosaccharides (XOS), galactooligosaccharides, etc.] that promote the growth and activity of gut microbes and influence the gut-brain axis. Aerobic exercise is a non-pharmacological approach for the control of diabetes and could improve cognitive functions. The potential beneficial effect of XOS and/or aerobic training on cognition, the lipid profile and oxidative stress markers of experimental rats were evaluated in this study. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three streptozotocin-induced diabetic groups and a control group. Some of the rats, either on a XOS treatment or a standard diet, underwent aerobic training. The results showed that the aerobic training independently lowered the total cholesterol levels compared to the sedentary diabetic rats (p = 0.032), while XOS lowers the malondialdehyde levels in the trained diabetic rats (p = 0.034). What is more the exercise, independently or in combination with XOS beneficially affected all parameters of the behavioral tests. We conclude that aerobic exercises alone or in a combination with the prebiotic XOS could ameliorate the dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and cognitive abilities in experimental type 1 diabetic animals.
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