Resistance Exercise Training Improves Metabolic and Inflammatory Control in Adipose and Muscle Tissues in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

This study investigates whether ladder climbing (LC), as a model of resistance exercise, can reverse whole-body and skeletal muscle deleterious metabolic and inflammatory effects of high-fat (HF) diet-induced obesity in mice. To accomplish this, Swiss mice were fed for 17 weeks either standard chow (SC) or an HF diet and then randomly assigned to remain sedentary or to undergo 8 weeks of LC training with progressive increases in resistance weight. Prior to beginning the exercise intervention, HF-fed animals displayed a 47% increase in body weight (BW) and impaired ability to clear blood glucose during an insulin tolerance test (ITT) when compared to SC animals. However, 8 weeks of LC significantly reduced BW, adipocyte size, as well as glycemia under fasting and during the ITT in HF-fed rats. LC also increased the phosphorylation of Akt_Ser473 and AMPK_Thr172 and reduced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1 beta (IL1-β) contents in the quadriceps muscles of HF-fed mice. Additionally, LC reduced the gene expression of inflammatory markers and attenuated HF-diet-induced NADPH oxidase subunit gp91phox in skeletal muscles. LC training was effective in reducing adiposity and the content of inflammatory mediators in skeletal muscle and improved whole-body glycemic control in mice fed an HF diet.

Cold acclimation enhances UCP1 content, lipolysis, and triacylglycerol resynthesis, but not mitochondrial uncoupling and fat oxidation, in rat white adipocytes

The objective of this study was to investigate whether cold-induced browning of the subcutaneous (Sc) inguinal (Ing) white adipose tissue (WAT) increases the capacity of this tissue to oxidize fatty acids through uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)-mediated thermogenesis. To accomplish that, rats were acclimated to cold (4°C for 7 days). Subsequently, interscapular and aortic brown adipose tissues (iBAT and aBAT, respectively), epididymal (Epid), and Sc Ing WAT were used for adipocyte isolation. In BAT adipocytes, cold acclimation increased UCP1 content and palmitate oxidation either in the absence or presence of oligomycin, whereas in Sc Ing adipocytes glucose and palmitate oxidation were not affected, although multilocular adipocytes were formed and UCP1 content increased upon cold acclimation in the WAT. Furthermore, isoproterenol-stimulated cold Sc Ing adipocytes exhibited significantly lower rates of palmitate oxidation than control cells when exposed to oligomycin. These findings provide evidence that, despite increasing UCP1 levels, cold acclimation essentially reduced mitochondrial uncoupling-mediated fat oxidation in Sc Ing adipocytes. Conversely, glycerol kinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase levels, isoproterenol-induced lipolysis, as well as glycerol and palmitate incorporation into lipids significantly increased in these cells. Therefore, instead of UCP1-mediated mitochondrial uncoupling, cold acclimation increased the capacity of Sc Ing adipocytes to export fatty acids and enhanced key components of the triacylglycerol resynthesis pathway in the Sc Ing WAT.

Endothelial-specific FoxO1 depletion prevents obesity-related disorders by increasing vascular metabolism and growth

Impaired angiogenesis is a hallmark of metabolically dysfunctional adipose tissue in obesity. However, the underlying mechanisms restricting angiogenesis within this context remain ill-defined. Here, we demonstrate that induced endothelial-specific depletion of the transcription factor Forkhead Box O1 (FoxO1) in male mice led to increased vascular density in adipose tissue. Upon high-fat diet feeding, endothelial cell FoxO1-deficient mice exhibited even greater vascular remodeling in the visceral adipose depot, which was paralleled with a healthier adipose tissue expansion, higher glucose tolerance and lower fasting glycemia concomitant with enhanced lactate levels. Mechanistically, FoxO1 depletion increased endothelial proliferative and glycolytic capacities by upregulating the expression of glycolytic markers, which may account for the improvements at the tissue level ultimately impacting whole-body glucose metabolism. Altogether, these findings reveal the pivotal role of FoxO1 in controlling endothelial metabolic and angiogenic adaptations in response to high-fat diet and a contribution of the endothelium to whole-body energy homeostasis.

In the body, thread-like blood vessels called capillaries weave their way through our tissues to deliver oxygen and nutrients to every cell. When a tissue becomes bigger, existing vessels remodel to create new capillaries that can reach far away cells. However, in obesity, this process does not happen the way it should: when fat tissues expand, new blood vessels do not always grow to match. The starved fat cells can start to dysfunction, which causes a range of issues, from inflammation and scarring of the tissues to problems with how the body processes sugar and even diabetes. Yet, it is still unclear why exactly new capillaries fail to form in obesity.

What we know is that a protein called FoxO (short for Forkhead box O) is present in the cells that line the inside of blood vessels, and that it can stop the development of new capillaries. FoxO controls how cells spend their energy, and it can force them to go into a resting state. During obesity, the levels of FoxO actually increase in capillary cells. Therefore, it may be possible that FoxO prevents new blood vessels from growing in the fat tissues of obese individuals.

To find out, Rudnicki et al. created mice that lack the FoxO protein in the cells lining the capillaries, and then fed the animals a high-fat diet. These mutant mice had more blood vessels in their fat tissue, and their fat cells looked healthier. They also stored less fat than normal mice on the same diet, and their blood sugar levels were normal. This was because the FoxO-deprived cells inside capillaries were burning more energy, which they may have obtained by pulling sugar from the blood.

These results show that targeting the cells that line capillaries helps new blood vessels to grow, and that this could mitigate the health problems that arise with obesity, such as high levels of sugar (diabetes) and fat in the blood. However, more work is needed to confirm that the same cellular processes can be targeted to obtain positive health outcomes in humans.

Circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 is reduced, whereas its production is increased in a fat depot-specific manner in cold-acclimated rats

This study investigated the effects of cold acclimation on circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels, as well as its production and signaling in classical brown and white adipose tissues. Male Wistar rats were cold (4°C) acclimatized for 7 days. Subsequently, liver, interscapular and aortic BAT (iBAT and aBAT), and the Sc Ing and epididymal (Epid) white adipose tissues were extracted. Cold acclimation significantly reduced circulating FGF21 and its liver expression. Conversely, FGF21 content increased in iBAT, aBAT and Sc Ing fat depots, along with the expressions of the Fgf21 receptor and the receptor co-factor β-klotho. Cold acclimation increased FGF21 secretion from Sc Ing and Epid adipocytes, although only iBAT and Sc Ing fat depots enhanced ERK1/2 phosphorylation. These findings provide evidence that FGF21 acts in an autocrine/paracrine manner in iBAT and Sc Ing fat depots under cold-acclimating conditions and may contribute to driving depot-specific thermogenic adaptive responses.

Cold acclimation reduces hepatic protein Kinase B and AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation and increases gluconeogenesis in Rats

This study investigated the molecular and metabolic responses of the liver to cold-induced thermogenesis. To accomplish that, male Wistar rats were exposed to cold (4°C) for 7 days. Livers were then extracted and used for the determination of glucose and fatty acid oxidation, glycogen content, the expression and content of proteins involved in insulin signaling, as well as in the regulation of gluconeogenesis and de novo lipid synthesis. Despite being hyperphagic, cold-acclimated rats displayed normoglycemia with reduced insulinemia, which suggests improved whole-body insulin sensitivity. However, liver protein kinase B (AKT) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) phosphorylations were markedly reduced along with the expressions of the insulin receptor (IR) and its substrates IRS1 and IRS2, whereas glycogen synthase (GS) phosphorylation increased. Thus, major signaling steps of the glycogen synthesis pathway in the liver were inhibited. Furthermore, glucagonemia and hepatic glucose and fatty acid oxidation were increased, whereas liver glycogen content was reduced by cold acclimation. This was accompanied by significantly elevated expressions of the gluconeogenic transcription regulators CRTC2, PGC-1α, and FoxO1, as well as of major gluconeogenic enzymes (G6Pase, FBP1, and PEPCK). Conversely, phosphorylation and contents of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) content were markedly downregulated in livers of cold-acclimated rats. In conclusion, cold acclimation suppressed hepatic glycogen synthesis and promoted profound metabolic changes in the liver so the organ could sustain its ability to regulate whole-body glucose and lipid metabolism under conditions of high-energy demand in thermogenic tissues.

White and beige adipocytes: are they metabolically distinct?

The white adipose tissue (WAT) exhibits great plasticity and can undergo "browning" and acquire features of the brown adipose tissue (BAT), which takes place following cold exposure, chronic endurance exercise or β3-adrenergic stimulation. WAT that underwent browning is characterized by the presence of "beige" adipocytes, which are morphologically similar to brown adipocytes, express uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and are considered thermogenically competent. Thus, inducing a BAT-like phenotype in the WAT could promote energy dissipation within this depot, reducing the availability of substrate that would otherwise be stored in the WAT. Importantly, BAT in humans only represents a small proportion of total body mass, which limits the thermogenic capacity of this tissue. Therefore, browning of the WAT could significantly expand the energy-dissipating capacity of the organism and be of therapeutic value in the treatment of metabolic diseases. However, the question remains as to whether WAT indeed changes its metabolic profile from an essentially fat storage/release compartment to an energy dissipating compartment that functions much like BAT. Here, we discuss the differences with respect to thermogenic capacity and metabolic characteristics between white and beige adipocytes to determine whether the latter cells indeed significantly enhance their capacity to dissipate energy through UCP1-mediated mitochondrial uncoupling or by the activation of alternative UCP1-independent futile cycles.

High-fat diet induces skeletal muscle oxidative stress in a fiber type-dependent manner in rats

This study investigated the effects of high-fat (HF) diet on parameters of oxidative stress among muscles with distinct fiber type composition and oxidative capacities. To accomplish that, male Wistar rats were fed either a low-fat standard chow (SC) or a HF diet for 8 weeks. Soleus, extensor digitorum longus (EDL), and epitrochlearis muscles were collected and mitochondrial H₂O₂ (mtH₂O₂) emission, palmitate oxidation, and gene expression and antioxidant system were measured. Chronic HF feeding enhanced fat oxidation in oxidative and glycolytic muscles. It also caused a significant reduction in mtH₂O₂ emission in the EDL muscle, although a tendency towards a reduction was also found in the soleus and epitrochlearis muscles. In the epitrochlearis, HF diet increased mRNA expression of the NADPH oxidase complex; however, this muscle also showed an increase in the expression of antioxidant proteins, suggesting a higher capacity to generate and buffer ROS. The soleus muscle, despite being highly oxidative, elicited H₂O₂ emission rates equivalent to only 20% and 35% of the values obtained for EDL and epitrochlearis muscles, respectively. Furthermore, the Epi muscle with the lowest oxidative capacity was the second highest in H₂O₂ emission. In conclusion, it appears that intrinsic differences related to the distribution of type I and type II fibers, rather than oxidative capacity, drove the activity of the anti- and pro-oxidant systems and determine ROS production in different skeletal muscles. This also suggests that the impact of potentially deleterious effects of ROS production on skeletal muscle metabolism/function under lipotoxic conditions is fiber type-specific.

Antilipolytic and antilipogenic effects of the CPT-1b inhibitor oxfenicine in the white adipose tissue of rats

Oxfenicine is a carnitine-palmitoyl transferase 1b (CPT-1b)-specific inhibitor that has been shown to improve whole body insulin sensitivity while suppressing fatty acid (FA) oxidation and increasing circulating FA. Because the white adipose tissue (WAT) is an organ that stores and releases FAs, this study investigated whether oxfenicine-induced inhibition of FA oxidation affected adiposity and WAT metabolism in rats fed either low (LF) or high-fat (HF) diets. Following 8 wk of dietary intervention, male Sprague-Dawley rats were given a daily intraperitoneal injection of oxfenicine (150 mg/kg body wt) or vehicle (PBS) for 3 wk. Oxfenicine treatment reduced whole body fat oxidation, body weight, and adiposity, and improved insulin sensitivity in HF-fed rats. All of these effects occurred without alterations in food intake, energy expenditure, and ambulatory activity. In vivo oxfenicine treatment reduced FA oxidation and lipolysis in subcutaneous inguinal (SC Ing) adipocytes, whereas glucose incorporation into lipids (lipogenesis) was significantly reduced in both SC Ing and epididymal (Epid) adipocytes. In summary, our results show that oxfenicine-induced inhibition of CPT-1b markedly affects WAT metabolism, leading to reduced adiposity through a mechanism that involves reduced lipogenesis in the SC Ing and Epid fat depots of rats.

Exercise-Mediated Effects on White and Brown Adipose Tissue Plasticity and Metabolism

Exercise training increases the thermogenic capacity of white adipose tissue (WAT), an effect known as "browning" of the WAT. Here, we discuss how this affects whole-body energy homeostasis. We put forth the hypothesis that browning of the subcutaneous WAT allows the organism to adjust its metabolic rate according to energy availability while coping with increased heat production through exercise.

Lipolysis, lipogenesis, and adiposity are reduced while fatty acid oxidation is increased in visceral and subcutaneous adipocytes of endurance-trained rats

This study examined the alterations in triglyceride (TG) breakdown and storage in subcutaneous inguinal (SC Ing) and epididymal (Epid) fat depots following chronic endurance training. Male Wistar rats were either kept sedentary (Sed) or subjected to endurance training (Ex) at 70-85% peak VO2 for 6 weeks. At weeks 0, 3, and 6 blood was collected at rest and immediately after a bout of submaximal exercise of similar relative intensity to assess whole-body lipolysis. At week 6, adipocytes were isolated from Epid and SC Ing fat pads for the determination of lipolysis under basal or isoproterenol- and forskolin-stimulated conditions, basal and insulin-stimulated glucose incorporation into lipids, and fatty acid oxidation (FAO). Body weight, fat pad mass, and insulin were reduced by endurance training. Also, circulating non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) were 33% lower in Ex than Sed rats when exercising at the same relative intensity. This coincided with reduced isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis in the Epid (27%) and SC Ing (25%) adipocytes in Ex rats. Similarly, forskolin-stimulated lipolysis was reduced in Epid (51%) and SC Ing (49%) adipocytes from Ex rats. Insulin-stimulated glucose incorporation into lipids in adipocytes from both fat depots from Ex rats was also lower (∼43%) than Sed controls. Conversely, FAO was increased in Epid (1.71-fold) and SC Ing (1.82-fold) adipocytes of Ex rats. In conclusion, chronic endurance exercise reduced lipolysis and lipogenesis while increasing FAO in Epid and SC Ing adipocytes. These are compatible with an energy-sparing adaptive response to reduced adiposity under chronic endurance training conditions.