Special Issue "Metabolic Adaptations in Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle during Acute and Chronic Exercise"

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Endocrinology and Clinical Metabolic Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 6669

Special Issue Editor

Heart and Muscle Metabolism Laboratory, Department of Health and Exercise Physiology, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA 19426, USA
Interests: cardiac lipid metabolism; cardiac dysfunction; metabolic adaptations to exercise; exercise physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Exercise training is known to facilitate the management of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, as well as several musculoskeletal disorders. Although the positive health benefits of exercise are well-accepted, the precise molecular adaptations that exercise elicits in cardiac and skeletal muscle are still not fully understood, particularly in diseased populations. This knowledge gap exists thanks, in part, to a reliance on study populations that are predominantly young male athletes, and the usage of exercise training protocols that vary in intensity and duration. Therefore, more research that bridges the gap between population differences and protocol variation are warranted to elucidate the metabolic adaptations that result from exercise.   

This special issue of Metabolites will be dedicated to publishing original articles and reviews that focus on the metabolic adaptations that occur in cardiac and skeletal muscle in response to acute or chronic exercise in both healthy and diseased populations. Studies and articles that investigate the appropriate “exercise prescription” (i.e., frequency, intensity, duration) that modifies health and disease will be of importance. In addition, papers that address differences in sex, race/ethnicity, and aging will be of particular interest.

Dr. Stephen C. Kolwicz Jr.
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • exercise training
  • exercise metabolism
  • lipids
  • glucose
  • ketone bodies
  • insulin signaling
  • metabolic remodeling
  • sex differences
  • exercise and aging
  • exercise physiology

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Article
The Effects of Exercise Training on Glucose Homeostasis and Muscle Metabolism in Type 1 Diabetic Female Mice
Metabolites 2022, 12(10), 948; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12100948 - 05 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1065
Abstract
Although exercise training is an important recommendation for the management of type 1 diabetes (T1D), most of the available research studies predominantly focus on male subjects. Given the importance of sex as a biological variable, additional studies are required to improve the knowledge [...] Read more.
Although exercise training is an important recommendation for the management of type 1 diabetes (T1D), most of the available research studies predominantly focus on male subjects. Given the importance of sex as a biological variable, additional studies are required to improve the knowledge gap regarding sex differences in T1D research. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of exercise training in mediating changes in glucose homeostasis and skeletal muscle metabolism in T1D female mice. Female mice were injected with streptozotocin (STZ) to induce T1D. Two weeks after STZ injection, control (CON) and STZ mice were exercise trained on a treadmill for 4 weeks. Aerobic exercise training failed to improve glucose tolerance, prevent the decrease in body weight and adipose tissue mass, or attenuate muscle atrophy in T1D female mice. However, insulin sensitivity was improved in T1D female mice after exercise training. Aerobic exercise training maintained skeletal muscle triglyceride content but did not prevent depletion of skeletal muscle or liver glycogen in T1D mice. Gene expression analysis suggested that T1D resulted in decreased glucose transport, decreased ketone body oxidation, and increased fatty acid metabolism in the skeletal muscle, which was not altered by exercise training. These data demonstrate that 4 weeks of aerobic exercise training of a moderate intensity is insufficient to counteract the negative effects of T1D in female mice, but does lead to an improvement in insulin sensitivity. Full article
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Article
Effects of Moderate–Intensity Physical Training on Skeletal Muscle Substrate Transporters and Metabolic Parameters of Ovariectomized Rats
Metabolites 2022, 12(5), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12050402 - 29 Apr 2022
Viewed by 997
Abstract
A deficit of estrogen is associated with energy substrate imbalance, raising the risk of metabolic diseases. Physical training (PT) is a potent metabolic regulator through oxidation and storage of substrates transported by GLUT4 and FAT CD36 in skeletal muscle. However, little is known [...] Read more.
A deficit of estrogen is associated with energy substrate imbalance, raising the risk of metabolic diseases. Physical training (PT) is a potent metabolic regulator through oxidation and storage of substrates transported by GLUT4 and FAT CD36 in skeletal muscle. However, little is known about the effects of PT on these carriers in an estrogen-deficit scenario. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of 12 weeks of PT on metabolic variables and GLUT4 and FAT CD36 expression in the skeletal muscle of animals energetically impaired by ovariectomy (OVX). The trained animals swam 30 min/day, 5 days/week, at 80% of the critical load intensity. Spontaneous physical activity was measured biweekly. After training, FAT CD36 and GLUT4 expressions were quantified by immunofluorescence in the soleus, as well as muscular glycogen and triglyceride of the soleus, gluteus maximus and gastrocnemius. OVX significantly reduced FAT CD36, GLUT4 and spontaneous physical activity (p < 0.01), while PT significantly increased FAT CD36, GLUT4 and spontaneous physical activity (p < 0.01). PT increased soleus glycogen, and OVX decreased muscular triglyceride of gluteus maximus. Therefore, OVX can cause energy disarray through reduction in GLUT4 and FAT CD36 and their muscle substrates and PT prevented these metabolic consequences, masking ovarian estrogen’s absence. Full article
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Article
Can Exercise Training Alter Human Skeletal Muscle DNA Methylation?
Metabolites 2022, 12(3), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12030222 - 02 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1794
Abstract
Skeletal muscle is highly plastic and dynamically regulated by the body’s physical demands. This study aimed to determine the plasticity of skeletal muscle DNA methylation in response to 8 weeks of supervised exercise training in volunteers with a range of insulin sensitivities. We [...] Read more.
Skeletal muscle is highly plastic and dynamically regulated by the body’s physical demands. This study aimed to determine the plasticity of skeletal muscle DNA methylation in response to 8 weeks of supervised exercise training in volunteers with a range of insulin sensitivities. We studied 13 sedentary participants and performed euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps with basal vastus lateralis muscle biopsies and peak aerobic activity (VO2 peak) tests before and after training. We extracted DNA from the muscle biopsies and performed global methylation using Illumina’s Methylation EPIC 850K BeadChip. Training significantly increased peak aerobic capacity and insulin-stimulated glucose disposal. Fasting serum insulin and insulin levels during the steady state of the clamp were significantly lower post-training. Insulin clearance rates during the clamp increased following the training. We identified 13 increased and 90 decreased differentially methylated cytosines (DMCs) in response to 8 weeks of training. Of the 13 increased DMCs, 2 were within the following genes, FSTL3, and RP11-624M8.1. Of the 90 decreased DMCs, 9 were within the genes CNGA1, FCGR2A, KIF21A, MEIS1, NT5DC1, OR4D1, PRPF4B, SLC26A7, and ZNF280C. Moreover, pathway analysis showed an enrichment in metabolic and actin-cytoskeleton pathways for the decreased DMCs, and for the increased DMCs, an enrichment in signal-dependent regulation of myogenesis, NOTCH2 activation and transmission, and SMAD2/3: SMAD4 transcriptional activity pathways. Our findings showed that 8 weeks of exercise training alters skeletal muscle DNA methylation of specific genes and pathways in people with varying degrees of insulin sensitivity. Full article
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Article
Improved Peripheral and Hepatic Insulin Sensitivity after Lifestyle Interventions in Type 2 Diabetes Is Associated with Specific Metabolomic and Lipidomic Signatures in Skeletal Muscle and Plasma
Metabolites 2021, 11(12), 834; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo11120834 - 03 Dec 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2160
Abstract
Lifestyle interventions with weight loss can improve insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes (T2D), but mechanisms are unclear. We explored circulating and skeletal muscle metabolite signatures of altered peripheral (pIS) and hepatic insulin sensitivity (hIS) in overweight and obese T2D individuals that were [...] Read more.
Lifestyle interventions with weight loss can improve insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes (T2D), but mechanisms are unclear. We explored circulating and skeletal muscle metabolite signatures of altered peripheral (pIS) and hepatic insulin sensitivity (hIS) in overweight and obese T2D individuals that were randomly assigned a 12-week Paleolithic-type diet with (diet-ex, n = 13) or without (diet, n = 13) supervised exercise. Baseline and post-intervention measures included: mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and lipidomics of skeletal muscle and plasma; pIS and hIS; ectopic lipid deposits in the liver and skeletal muscle; and skeletal muscle fat oxidation rate. Both groups lowered BMI and total % fat mass and increased their pIS. Only the diet-group improved hIS and reduced ectopic lipids in the liver and muscle. The combined improvement in pIS and hIS in the diet-group were associated with decreases in muscle and circulating branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolites, specifically valine. Improved pIS with diet-ex was instead linked to increased diacylglycerol (34:2) and triacylglycerol (56:0) and decreased phosphatidylcholine (34:3) in muscle coupled with improved muscle fat oxidation rate. This suggests a tissue crosstalk involving BCAA-metabolites after diet intervention with improved pIS and hIS, reflecting reduced lipid influx. Increased skeletal muscle lipid utilization with exercise may prevent specific lipid accumulation at sites that perturb insulin signaling. Full article
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