Abstract

Objective: To assess how Telmisartan and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise impact the levels of IL-1β, type 3 collagen, and caspase-3 in the bladder tissues of rats with diabetes.
Methodology: This experimental study used diabetic rat models divided into five groups: control, DM without treatment, DM+Telmisartan, DM+moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, and DM+combination therapy. Expression of IL-1β, type 3 collagen, and caspase-3 was evaluated via immunohistochemical examination of bladder tissue. One-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and post hoc tests were used for analyzing the data.
Results: The study found notable variations in IL-1β levels within the lamina propria across different treatment groups (p=0.015), where animals receiving combined treatment demonstrated markedly reduced expression versus those with untreated diabetes (p=0.008). However, IL-1β levels in the detrusor muscle remained unchanged across groups (p=0.947).
Regarding Type 3 collagen, the lamina propria exhibited significant group differences (p=0.004), with combined therapy producing distinct results compared to untreated diabetic animals (p=0.012). Within the detrusor muscle, only the Telmisartan-treated diabetic group showed significant variation from controls (p=0.031).
For Caspase-3 expression, significant group differences emerged in the lamina propria (p=0.043), where moderate aerobic exercise alone produced results that differed significantly from controls (p=0.039). No meaningful differences appeared in detrusor muscle Caspase-3 levels (p=0.182).
Conclusion: Combining Telmisartan with moderate aerobic exercise effectively decreased both inflammatory markers and fibrotic changes specifically within the lamina propria of diabetic rat bladders, while the detrusor muscle layer showed minimal treatment response.

Key words: Diabetes Mellitus, telmisartan, aerobic exercise, interleukin-1β, Type III collagen, caspase-3.