56 JKMU Journal of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, 2021; 28 (1): 56-68 The Effect of High- intensity Interval Training and L-carnitine on the Expression of Some Pro-inflammatory Genes in the Liver and Cardiac Tissues of Rats Beydolah Shahouzehi, Ph.D. 1,2 , Hamidreza Nasri, M.D. 3 , Soheil Aminizadeh, Ph.D. 4 , Yaser Masoumi-Ardakani, Ph.D. 5 1- Student Research Committee, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran 2- Cardiovascular Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran 3- Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Research Center & Physiology Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran 4- Assistant Professor, Physiology Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran 5- Ph.D. Candidate, Physiology Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran (Corresponding author: Email: ymab125@gmail.com) Received: 25 August, 2020 Accepted: 15 November, 2020 ARTICLE INFO Article type: Original Article Keywords: Exercise training IL- 1β IL-6 TNF- α L-carnitine Abstract Background: Inflammation is characterized by interactions between cytokines and inflammatory pathogens. Cytokines are glycoproteins involved in inflammation. Exercise training and physical activity are associated with a healthy lifestyle. In the current study, we aimed to determine the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and L-Carnitine (LCAR) on the expression of genes involved in inflammation and inflammatory pathways in the liver and heart of rats. Method: Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the four groups (n = 8): 1. Untreated control group, 2. LCAR group (received 200 mg/kg LCAR daily), 3. HIIT group (performed high intensity interval training), 4. Exercise training + LCAR. Results: The results of our study showed that HIIT + LCAR significantly reduced the expression of IL- 1β in the liver compared to the HIIT group (p = 0.038). The combination of HIIT and LCAR decreased IL-6 expression in the liver tissue compared to the control (p <0.001), LCAR (p <0.001), and HIIT (p = 0.002) groups. The HIIT + LCAR group decreased Cox 2 gene expression in the liver tissue compared to the untreated control group (p <0.001), and LCAR group (p = 0.007). The combination of HIIT and LCAR reduced IL- 1β expression in the cardiac tissue compared to the untreated control (p <0.001), LCAR (p = 0.034), and HIIT (p = 0.041) groups. The combination of HIIT and LCAR increased IL-6 expression in the cardiac tissue compared to the other three groups (p <0.001). Conclusion: According to the obtained results, HIIT combined with LCAR administration is very useful in reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory genes in the heart and liver tissues. Copyright: 2021 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citation: Shahouzehi B, Nasri H.R, Aminizadeh S, Masoumi-Ardakani Y. The Effect of High- intensity Interval Training and L-carnitine on the Expression of Some Pro- inflammatory Genes in the Liver and Cardiac Tissues of Rats. Journal of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, 2021; 28 (1): 56-68.