Effects of Running Wheel Activity and Dietary HMB and ß-alanine Co-Supplementation on Muscle Quality in Aged Male Rats.

OBJECTIVE: Loss of skeletal muscle function is linked to increased risk for loss of health and independence in older adults. Dietary interventions that can enhance aging muscle function, alone or in combination with exercise, may offer an effective way to reduce these risks. The goal of this study was to evaluate the muscular effects of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) and beta-alanine (ß-Ala) co-supplementation in aged Sprague-Dawley rats with voluntary access to running wheels (RW). METHODS: Aged (20 months) rats were housed with ad libitum access to RW while on a purified diet for 4 weeks, then balanced for RW activity and assigned to either a control or an experimental diet (control + HMB and ß-Ala) for the next 4 weeks (n = 10/group). At the end of the study, we assessed muscle size, in situ force and fatigability in the medial gastrocnemius muscles, as well as an array of protein markers related to various age- and activity-responsive signaling pathways. RESULTS: Dietary HMB+ß-Ala did not improve muscle force or fatigue resistance, but a trend for increased muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) was observed (P = 0.077). As a result, rats on the experimental diet exhibited reduced muscle quality (force/CSA; P = 0.032). Dietary HMB+ß-Ala reduced both the abundance of PGC1-α (P = 0.050) and the ratio of the lipidated to non-lipidated forms of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta (P = 0.004), markers of mitochondrial biogenesis and autophagy, respectively. Some alterations in myostatin signaling also occurred in the dietary HMB+ß-Ala group. There was an unexpected difference (P = 0.046) in RW activity, which increased throughout the study in the animals on the control diet, but not in animals on the experimental diet. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the short-term addition of dietary HMB+ß-Ala to modest physical activity provided little enhancement of muscle function in this model of uncomplicated aging.

The Green Tea Polyphenol Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCg) Attenuates Skeletal Muscle Atrophy in a Rat Model of Sarcopenia.

OBJECTIVE: Sarcopenia-the loss of muscle mass and functionality occurring with age-is a pervasive problem with few effective treatments beyond exercise. We examined the ability of the green tea catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCg), to impact muscle mass and the molecular pathway involved in muscle atrophy in a rat model of sarcopenia. METHODS: 20-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were treated for 8 weeks with control diet or control plus 200mg/kg body weight of EGCg diet. RESULTS: EGCg-supplemented animals had significantly greater gastrocnemius muscle mass than the aged controls, and showed a trend for increased muscle fiber cross-sectional areas (CSA) (p=0.06). These changes were associated with significantly lower protein expressions of the intramuscular 19S and 20S proteasome subunits and the MuRF1 and MAFbx ubiquitin ligases in the EGCg-treated animals. Proteasome activity as determined by 'Chymotrypsin-like' enzyme activity was also significantly reduced by EGCg. Muscle mRNA expression of IL-15 and IGF-1 were significantly increased in the EGCg group vs. the aged controls. In comparison to younger adult animals (6 month), the protein expression of 19S, 20S, MuRF1, MAFbx, and myostatin were increased between approximately 4- and 12-fold in the aged controls, but only up to ~2-fold in the aged EGCg animals. CONCLUSIONS: EGCg supplementation was able to preserve muscle in sarcopenic rats, partly through attenuating protein degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, together with increased expression of anabolic factors.

Adrenalectomy reduces adiposity by decreasing food efficiency, not direct effects on white adipose tissue.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to establish the effects of adrenalectomy (ADX) on adipose tissue metabolism in male Sprague-Dawley rats fed a standard chow diet. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The effects of adrenalectomy on adipose cell size, lipoprotein lipase activity, and basal and insulin-stimulated glucose conversion to lipid and lipolysis were measured. RESULTS: ADX decreased body weight gain during the post-operative period in the absence of changes in food intake; feed efficiency was decreased significantly. ADX decreased adipocyte size by 30%. ADX increased adipocyte response to the effect of submaximal concentrations of insulin on lipid synthesis and lipolysis. ADX decreased maximally insulin-stimulated lipid synthesis, but this effect was accounted for by decreased adipocyte size. In contrast, ADX had no effect on maximally insulin-inhibited lipolysis. ADX did not affect heparin-releasable LPL. The small effect of ADX on residual extractable adipose tissue LPL activity was accounted for by decreased fat cell size. DISCUSSION: ADX decreased adiposity in the absence of changes in food intake, lipoprotein lipase activity, and adipocyte lipid metabolism. The effect is best attributed to decreased feed efficiency.

Lipolysis in intraabdominal adipose tissues of obese women and men.

Intraabdominal fat in humans is located in two major depots, the omental and mesenteric. We compared basal and stimulated lipolysis in adipose tissue from these two depots and the subcutaneous abdominal depot of obese women and men. Omental fat cells of women are smaller and have lower rates of basal lipolysis than in men. Basal lipolysis rates are significantly higher in subcutaneous than intraabdominal adipose tissues of both genders. In men, the incremental lipolytic response to norepinephrine is significantly greater in both intraabdominal fat depots than in the subcutaneous fat, while in women the response of the mesenteric is lower than the omental. In women, but not men, responsiveness to the beta agonist isoproterenol is also increased in omental tissue. Thus, in women, omental and mesenteric adipose tissues show distinctly different metabolic properties which may moderate the impact of intraabdominal obesity.

In vitro lipid synthesis in human adipose tissue from three abdominal sites.

The association between abdominal deposition of adipose tissue and morbidities accompanying obesity may be related to high rates of free fatty acid release from enlarged intra-abdominal stores. To investigate cellular mechanisms that might contribute to enlargement of intra-abdominal adipocytes, lipolysis, triacylglycerol (TG), and diacylglycerol (DG) synthesis from [14C]glucose was measured in abdominal subcutaneous, omental, and mesenteric adipose tissue from severely obese women and men. Subcutaneous adipose tissue from women showed the highest rates of TG synthesis compared with the intra-abdominal site, or any site in men. isoproterenol stimulated TG synthesis more in intra-abdominal than subcutaneous adipose tissue. In the basal state, intra-abdominal adipose tissue from both men and women showed rates of [14C]DG accumulation approximately 50% total [14C]acylglyceride accumulation, whereas, in subcutaneous adipose tissue, [14C]DG accumulation was approximately 25% of total. Basal lipolysis was lower in intra-abdominal than subcutaneous adipocytes. Stimulation of lipolysis reduced [14C]DG accumulation more in intra-abdominal than subcutaneous adipose tissue. Low rates of acylglyceride synthesis in intra-abdominal adipocytes may prevent accumulation of large intra-abdominal fat stores in women.

Lipolytic effects on diacylglycerol accumulation in human adipose tissue in vitro.

When fragments of rat or human adipose tissue, or isolated adipocytes, are incubated with [14C]glucose in vitro, [14C]diacylglycerol accumulates rapidly: it comprises 20-50% of newly synthesized (14C-labeled) acylglycerols, compared to less than 1% diacylglycerol accumulated in the bulk lipid store in vivo. The experiments reported in this study were performed to test the possibility that agents that influence the rate of lipolysis might differentially affect the accumulation of di- and triacylglycerol in human adipose tissue, and perhaps account for the discrepancy between the early labeling and the later accumulation of diacyglycerol. Fragments of gluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue obtained from obese men and women were incubated with isoproterenol, epinephrine plus yohimbine, adenosine deaminase, or dibutyryl 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate to stimulate lipolysis. Tissue fragments were also incubated with clonidine, adenosine, or insulin to inhibit lipolysis. No agent had any effect on the rate of accumulation of newly synthesized triacylglycerol. The effects of these agents on the rate of lipolysis were negatively correlated with their effects on accumulation of newly synthesized diacylglycerol. Newly synthesized diacylglycerol may be preferentially hydrolyzed by hormone sensitive lipase. This increased susceptibility to lipolytic stimulation, compared to newly synthesized triacylglycerol, may account for the minute accumulation of diacylglycerol in adipose tissue in vivo.

Mechanism of free fatty acid re-esterification in human adipocytes in vitro.

Within adipose tissue, free fatty acids liberated by lipolysis may be re-esterified into newly synthesized triacylglycerol. We hypothesized that re-esterification may occur via an extracellular route, such that free fatty acids arising from lipolysis must leave the adipocyte and be taken up again before they can be re-esterified. We simultaneously measured rates of lipolysis, acylglycerol synthesis, and free fatty acid re-esterification in human adipose tissue and isolated adipocytes in vitro, utilizing a dual-isotopic technique. We manipulated incubations to increase mixing of released free fatty acids with the incubation medium. Such manipulations should decrease the probability that released free fatty acids would be taken up and re-esterified. We found that re-esterification was decreased in isolated adipocytes compared to fragments of tissue, in shaken compared to unshaken incubations, and in low adipocyte concentrations compared to high adipocyte concentrations. Rates of acylglycerol synthesis and lipolysis were unaltered by these manipulations, indicating that changes in free fatty acid re-esterification are not secondary to effects on these processes. The results are consistent with an extracellular route for free fatty acid re-esterification. Such a mechanism suggests that adipose tissue blood flow may play an important role in the regulation of free fatty acid release from adipose tissue.

The fat cell.

Investigations of how fat cells develop, store, and release energy, and what role they play in energy metabolism are presented. The importance of adipose tissue in the pathogenesis of obesity is considered.

Satiating effect of fat in diabetic rats: gastrointestinal and postabsorptive factors.

Streptozotocin-diabetic rats decrease food intake more than normal animals in response to a fat test meal. To determine the physiological basis of this differential response, we examined the effects of an ingested corn oil meal on food intake, gastrointestinal fill, and plasma triglycerides, glycerol, and ketone bodies. Hyperphagic diabetic rats decreased intake of a high-carbohydrate, low-fat stock diet starting 2-4 h after the fat meal, whereas normal rats did not. Gastric emptying was accelerated and intestinal mass and contents were increased in diabetic rats. The fat meal reduced gastric emptying and increased stomach contents in diabetic and normal rats starting within 2 h of ingestion. Intestinal fill decreased in diabetic animals after the oil meal. Triglycerides and glycerol increased transiently after fat ingestion in normal and diabetic rats, whereas ketone body concentrations rose only in diabetic rats starting 1-3 h after fat ingestion. The results indicate that the differential effect of a fat meal on food intake in normal and diabetic rats is related to differences in the postabsorptive metabolism of the ingested fat rather than to effects of fat feeding on gastrointestinal fill or clearance.

The effects of varying energy and nitrogen intake on nitrogen balance, body composition, and metabolic rate.

Body protein content (as measured by N balance) is normally regulated at a constant level, but is influenced by the level of both energy and N intake. Energy and N act synergistically on N balance. Not all forms of energy are equally effective in maintaining zero N balance; approximately 500 kcal of carbohydrate are required daily by the brain, and this minimum amount of dietary carbohydrate cannot be replaced by fat without loss of body N. Acute illness is accompanied by a catabolic state and an increase in the minimum N intake required for zero N balance. Nutritional depletion induces a metabolic state similar to that typical of growing organisms, in that N can be retained at zero energy balance. BMR includes essential thermogenesis and facultative thermogenesis. In addition, food has a specific dynamic action; it increases metabolic rate. Nutrient-induced increases in metabolic rate are exaggerated in acutely ill patients, such that large amounts of IV glucose may constitute a metabolic stress when given to patients. Equivalent N sparing can be obtained when as much as half of the glucose calories are replaced by fat calories. N balance is an incomplete index of nutritional status, and important information may be gained from measurements of body composition of acutely ill patients; in particular, the degree of expansion of ECW may predict outcome.

Food intake in diabetic rats: isolation of primary metabolic effects of fat feeding.

The effects of varying dietary fat content on food intake and metabolism in streptozotocin-diabetic rats were examined. The metabolic consequences of fat feeding were separated from the marked adjustments in voluntary food consumption that occur when diabetic rats are fed diets containing different amounts of fat by feeding rats a fixed ration of food in which either fats or carbohydrates were reduced by equicaloric amounts, or in which only the concentration of fat, but not other dietary nutrients, was varied systematically. Resulting changes in metabolism and subsequent ad libitum food intake on refeeding were then measured. Rats did not increase their food intake after a prior reduction in carbohydrate consumption but did so after an equicaloric reduction in fat consumption. Urinary glucose excretion during rationing was a function of carbohydrate consumption and was not predictive of changes in food intake during refeeding. The more fat that rats consumed during rationing, the higher their levels of plasma triglycerides and ketone bodies were at the time of refeeding and the less they ate when allowed to eat ad libitum. The orderly changes in food consumption and in plasma triglycerides and ketones observed with variations in fat intake suggest that the effects of fat feeding on food intake in diabetic rats are mediated through the oxidation of ingested fat.

Response of normal and diabetic rats to increasing dietary medium-chain triglyceride content.

Replacing dietary long-chain triglycerides (LCT) with medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) has not previously been shown to produce reliable changes in caloric intake. However, diabetic rats are particularly sensitive to changes in the fat content of their diet, and thus were used for comparison to normal rats in the studies reported below. Rats were fed synthetic diets that contained either corn oil or MCT. Food intake and plasma metabolic fuels were measured as the fat content of the diet was increased from 5 to 15 to 25%. Both normal and diabetic MCT-fed rats adjusted their caloric intake more quickly than LCT-fed rats as the fat content of the diet was increased. The relative preference of MCT- and LCT-fed rats for high and low concentrations of dietary fat was assessed. It was found that both normal and diabetic LCT-fed rats preferred high dietary fat, whereas MCT-fed rats did not. In normal rats, plasma triglycerides and glycerol were decreased and plasma ketones increased by MCT feeding. In diabetic rats, the only effect of MCT feeding was to decrease plasma glycerol and triglycerides. The relative importance of hedonic and metabolic feedback to the rapid caloric regulation of MCT-fed rats is discussed.

Differential effects of medium- and long-chain triglycerides on food intake of normal and diabetic rats.

Three experiments were performed to examine the effect of ingestion of medium- (MCT) and long-chain (LCT) triglyceride oils at the beginning of the normal feeding period on subsequent food intake of normal and diabetic rats. In the first experiment, diabetic rats reduced food intake more than normal animals in the first 6 hr after ingestion of 2.0 ml of MCT or LCT oil. In the second experiment, diabetic rats reduced food intake to a similar extent by 6 hr after ingestion of 1.5 ml of MCT or LCT oil, but the time course of this effect depended on the oil ingested. Ingestion of MCT oil produced a decrease in food intake within 2 hr, whereas ingestion of LCT oil reduced food intake 2-4 hr later. In the third experiment, a direct comparison was made of the differential time course of food intake suppression by MCT or LCT oil in both normal and diabetic rats. Diabetic rats decreased food intake after ingestion of 1.5 ml MCT or LCT oil, whereas normal rats did not. Again, in diabetic rats, ingestion of MCT oil produced a more rapid reduction in food intake than ingestion of LCT oil. It is proposed that the more pronounced reduction in food intake of diabetic rats after oil ingestion is due to a greater degree of hepatic oxidation of ingested fat, whereas the differential effect of MCT and LCT oil ingestion in diabetic rats is due to a differential rate of delivery of the ingested lipid substrate to the liver.

Effects of estradiol on tissue distribution of newly-synthesized fatty acids in rats and hamsters.

Estradiol treatment decreases body weight and adiposity in ovariectomized (OVX) rats and hamsters partly by increasing energy expenditure. Other manipulations which increase energy expenditure (e.g., cold exposure or overfeeding) enhance thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and stimulate BAT fatty acid synthesis/uptake. We examined the effect of estradiol treatment on the in vivo distribution of newly-synthesized fatty acids in OVX rats and hamsters. In both species estradiol treatment increased BAT fatty acid synthesis/uptake (incorporation of tritium from (3H)2O into lipid), consistent with the possibility that enhanced thermogenesis in BAT may contribute to estradiol-induced energy expenditure. Estradiol treatment increased BAT lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in hamsters, but not in rats. Thus, hamsters may utilize fatty acids synthesized in other tissues as a fuel for BAT thermogenesis, whereas rats may rely more on in situ lipogenesis. Estradiol-induced decreases in carcass adiposity (white adipose tissue mass) may be accomplished by different means in rats and hamsters. Estradiol treatment reduced white adipose tissue LPL activity and fatty acid synthesis/uptake in rats, but not in hamsters. While there are some species differences in the effects of estradiol on lipid metabolism, it appears that in both rats and hamsters estradiol acts to direct metabolic fuels (especially lipids) away from white adipose tissue storage depots and into tissues where they are oxidized (e.g., BAT). Finally, cold acclimation and estradiol had similar effects in OVX hamsters including increases in BAT fatty acid synthesis/uptake, BAT LPL activity, and energy expenditure. These findings, too, are consistent with a role for BAT in estradiol-induced thermogenesis.