Aerobic Exercise Improves Synaptic-Related Proteins of Diabetic Rats by Inhibiting FOXO1/NF-κB/NLRP3 Inflammatory Signaling Pathway and Ameliorating PI3K/Akt Insulin Signaling Pathway

Diabetes mellitus is metabolic syndrome and a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction-related diseases such as dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is associated with chronic inflammation and abnormal insulin signaling pathway. Exercise, a known potential therapy for diabetes, can also alleviate neurodegeneration. We evaluated the effects of aerobic exercise on inflammation and insulin signaling pathway in the prefrontal cortex of diabetic rats. Male SD rats were fed with a normal diet or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks. Then, part of the HFD rats was selected for aerobic exercise training. Our results show that aerobic exercise can improve the expression of synaptic plasticity-related proteins and reduce the phosphorylation of Tau by inhibiting the inflammatory signaling pathway and ameliorating the insulin signaling pathway in diabetic rats.