ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of exercise training on cardiac apoptotic pathways in obesity. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixteen lean Zucker rats (LZR) and sixteen obese Zucker rats (OZR) of 5-6 months of age as well as the other sixteen obese rats were subjected to treadmill running exercise for 1 h everyday for 3 months (OZR-EX). After exercise training or sedentary status of the rats, the excised hearts from the three groups were measured by heart weight index, H&E staining, TUNEL assays and Western blotting. Cardiac TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells, the protein levels of TNF alpha, Fas ligand, Fas receptors, Fas-associated death domain (FADD), Bad, Bax, activated caspase 8, activated caspase 9, and activated caspase 3 were higher in OZR than those in LZR. The protein levels of TNF alpha, Fas ligand, Fas receptors, FADD, activated caspase 8, and activated caspase 3 (Fas pathway) and the protein levels of Bad, Bax, Bax-to-Bcl2 ratio, activated caspase 9, and activated caspase 3 (mitochondria pathway) were lower in OZR-EX than those in OZR. CONCLUSION: Cardiac Fas-dependent and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways become more activated in obesity. Exercise training can prevent obesity-activated cardiac Fas-dependent and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways. Our findings demonstrate a new therapeutic effect of exercise training to prevent delirious cardiac Fas-mediated and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in obesity.
Subject(s)
Apoptosis , Heart/physiopathology , Obesity/physiopathology , Physical Conditioning, Animal , Animals , Blood Pressure , Caspase 3/metabolism , Caspase 9/metabolism , Echocardiography , Fas Ligand Protein/metabolism , Fas-Associated Death Domain Protein/metabolism , Male , Mitochondria, Heart/metabolism , Rats , Rats, Zucker , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism , bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism , fas Receptor/metabolismABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Skeletal muscle plays important role in the regulation of whole-body metabolism. In skeletal muscle, uptakes of glucose and fatty acid from circulation are facilitated by transmembrane substrate transporters GLUT4 and FAT/CD36, respectively. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of dietary glycemic index (GI) on GLUT4 and FAT/CD36 gene expressions in human skeletal muscle after a single bout of exercise. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Eight male subjects completed a 60-min cycling exercise at 75% maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2 max)), and were immediately fed an isocaloric meal containing either high-GI (HGI) or low-GI (LGI) diets, with similar proportions of carbohydrate, fat and protein in a crossover design. Muscle samples from deep vastus lateralis were taken by needle biopsy immediately after exercise and 3 h after exercise. RESULTS: After exercise, the HGI diet produced significantly greater glucose and insulin responses compared with the LGI diet, as indicated by the greater area under the curves. Both diets resulted in rapid reductions in plasma fatty acid and glycerol below fasting level. GLUT4 mRNA was downregulated by both HGI and LGI diets to a comparable extent, whereas GLUT4 protein levels were not changed during this short period. FAT/CD36 mRNA and protein levels were substantially decreased with the HGI diet below baseline, but not with the LGI diet. CONCLUSION: This study found a significant dietary GI effect on post-exercise FAT/CD36 gene expression in human skeletal muscle. This result implicates that the differences in dietary GI are sufficient to alter fat metabolism.
Subject(s)
CD36 Antigens/metabolism , Dietary Carbohydrates/metabolism , Exercise/physiology , Glucose Transporter Type 4/metabolism , Glycemic Index , Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism , Area Under Curve , Biopsy , Blood Glucose/metabolism , CD36 Antigens/genetics , Cross-Over Studies , Glucose Transporter Type 4/genetics , Glycogen/metabolism , Humans , Insulin/metabolism , Male , Muscle, Skeletal/pathology , Postprandial Period , RNA, Messenger/analysis , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Young AdultABSTRACT
A new gamma-alkylidene bicyclic butenolide designated as cochinolide (1) and its beta-glucopyranoside (3) were isolated from the root bark of Homalium cochinchinensis (Flacoutiaceae). Their structures, except absolute stereochemistries, were determined by spectroscopic means. Cochinolide (1) showed moderate antiviral activities against HSV-1 and -2.
Subject(s)
Antiviral Agents/isolation & purification , Furans/isolation & purification , Glucosides/isolation & purification , Plants, Medicinal/chemistry , Acetylation , Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Chromatography, Thin Layer , Furans/pharmacology , Glucosides/pharmacology , Herpesvirus 1, Human/drug effects , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Plant Epidermis/chemistry , Spectrometry, Mass, Fast Atom Bombardment , Spectrophotometry, Infrared , Spectrophotometry, UltravioletABSTRACT
A survey of 847 residents aged 15 and older of East Beijing, People's Republic of China was conducted to determine smoking prevalence, patterns of smoking behavior and related attitudes (response rate = 99.6%). The overall age-adjusted smoking prevalence was 32.2% (56.6% among men and 11.4% among women). Smoking prevalence was highest in the age groups under 45 among males and in the age groups over 45 among females. The most commonly smoked cigarettes were domestically manufactured, unfiltered brands high in tar and nicotine content. Most respondents were aware of the deleterious effects of smoking, and the majority felt that current antismoking measures were effective in discouraging smoking. Health policy implications are discussed in the context of various social practices in China that encourage cigarette smoking.
