Exercise Training Regulates Cortical GPCR-Mediated Signaling Networks Through cAMP, Calcium, and Neuroactive Ligand–Receptor Interaction Pathways in Diabetic–Obese Rats: An In Silico Study

Exercise-induced regulation of cortical GPCR pathways in diabetic obesity remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate exercise-associated GPCR-related transcriptomic pathway changes in the cerebral cortex of diabetic-obese rats. Cerebral cortical samples from male Zucker Fatty Diabetes Mellitus (ZFDM) rats subjected to a 12-week swimming program were examined using RNA sequencing, functional enrichment, GSOAP clustering, and STRING-based protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis. Exercise training reduced fasting glucose and body weight. RNA sequencing identified 817 exercise-responsive transcripts (403 upregulated and 414 downregulated; p < 0.05), including 48 associated with GPCR signaling. Results showed that these 48 genes mapped to three major GPCR-related networks: cAMP signaling, with increased Adcyap1r1, Gipr, Tshr, and Vipr2 and decreased Vip, Chrm1, Gabbr2, and Sst; calcium signaling, with increased Ntsr1 and Trhr and decreased Chrm1; and neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction, with increased Trh, Trhr, and Crh and decreased Opr-related transcripts. These findings provide hypothesis-generating evidence for interpreting cortical GPCR-related transcriptomic pathway associations in diabetic-obese conditions.