Aerobic exercise reduces oxidative damage and improves heart function in diabetic rats with heart failure: No extra...

The coexistence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and heart failure (HF) worsens clinical outcomes and complicates therapeutic strategies. This study investigated the effects of aerobic exercise (AE), with or without photobiomodulation (PBM), on cardiac function, glycaemic control, inflammation, and oxidative stress in diabetic rats with HF.

Fifty rats were initially enrolled. Ten animals died during myocardial infarction surgery (20% mortality), and among the 40 survivors, exclusions based on small infarct size resulted in a final sample of 30 rats for analysis (HFDM: n = 11; HFDM + AE: n = 12; HFDM + AE+PBM: n = 7). AE was performed on a treadmill for eight weeks. PBM (850 nm, 4.4 J) was applied bilaterally to the gastrocnemius muscle after each AE session.

AE was associated with increased exercise duration, running distance, and maximal speed compared with HFDM (p < 0.0001). AE also improved haemodynamic indices (+ dP/dtmax and -dP/dtmin; p < 0.001), reduced left ventricular posterior wall thickness (p = 0.0001), lowered fasting glycaemia (p = 0.032), and enhanced antioxidant defenses, including increased catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity and reduced plasma lipid peroxidation (TBARS; p < 0.0001). The addition of PBM did not confer further benefits beyond those induced by AE (p > 0.05).

AE improved functional capacity, cardiac structural and haemodynamic parameters, fasting glycaemia, and oxidative stress in rats with HF and DM. Under the conditions applied, PBM did not provide additional benefits, indicating that further studies are needed to optimize PBM protocols and clarify its potential role as an adjunct therapy in HFDM.