ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Relationship between Human Energy Supply and Environmental and Training FactorsView all articles
High-Intensity Intermittent Training Promotes Adipose Tissue Browning via the IL-27/p38 MAPK–PGC-1α Signaling Pathway in Diet-Induced Obese Rats
Provisionally accepted
- 1Yangzhou University College of Physical Education, Yangzhou, China
- 2Jiangsu Institute of Sports Science, Nanjing, China, Nanjing, China
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Objectives: This study investigated the effects of high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT) versus moderate-intensity aerobic training (MAIT) on IL-27 signalling and adipose tissue browning in obese rats. Methods: Forty male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: standard diet (C, n = 10) and high-fat diet (HFD, n = 30). After 8 weeks of HFD feeding, 24 obese rats were further randomised into three subgroups: HFD (H, n = 8), HFD+moderate-intensity training (HMT, n = 8), and HFD+HIIT (HHT, n = 8). The HMT and HHT groups underwent 8-week training interventions (six sessions/week). The HMT protocol included a 10-min warm-up (treadmill speed: 10 m/min), a 40-min moderate-intensity aerobic phase (60%–70% of maximum speed), and a 10-min recovery (10 m/min). The HHT protocol featured 10-min warm-up and recovery phases (10 m/min), with 40 min of alternating treadmill training: 3 min at 50% maximum speed followed by 3 min at 90% maximum speed. Results: No significant differences in body weight were observed between the HHT and HMT groups. HHT rats displayed significantly lower plasma triglyceride levels than H and HMT rats. Compared with HMT, HHT reduced adipose mass and adipocyte size and increased mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activities in adipose tissue. However, HHT rats displayed lower COX activity in visceral white adipose tissue than HMT rats. training upregulated browning-related genes and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in adipose tissue, with stronger effects in HHT than in HMT. Plasma and adipose tissue IL-27 levels, as well as p38 MAPK–PGC-1α signalling pathway activation, were significantly elevated in both training groups, with greater increases in HHT. Conclusions: HIIT promotes adipose tissue browning by activating the IL-27 signalling pathway and ameliorates obesity-associated metabolic disorders more effectively than MAIT, supporting its potential as a therapeutic strategy for obesity.
Keywords: Adipose tissue browning, high-intensity intermittent training, il-27, Obesity, UCP1
Received: 13 Nov 2025; Accepted: 26 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Wang, Hu, Chen and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yulong Hu
Junfei Chen
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