Activation of glycogen synthase in myocardium induced by intermittent hypoxia is much lower in fasted than in fed rats

2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (2) ◽  
pp. E469-E475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangsong Wu ◽  
Hong Wang ◽  
David L. Brautigan ◽  
Zhenqi Liu

Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by intermittent obstruction of the upper airway, which leads to intermittent hypoxia. Myocardial glycogen is a major energy resource for heart during hypoxia. Previous studies have demonstrated that intermittent hypoxia rapidly degrades myocardial glycogen and activates glycogen synthase (GS). However, the underlying mechanisms remain undefined. Because sleep apnea/intermittent hypoxia usually happens at night, whether intermittent hypoxia leads to GS activation in the postabsorptive state is not known. In the present study, male adult rats were studied after either an overnight fast or ad libitum feeding with or without intermittent ventilatory arrest (3 90-s periods at 10-min intervals). Hearts were quickly excised and freeze-clamped. Intermittent hypoxia induced a significant decrease in myocardial glycogen content in fed rats and stimulated GS in both fasted and fed rats. However, the portion of GS in the active form increased by ∼38% in fasted rats compared with a larger, ∼130% increase in fed rats. The basal G-6- P content was comparable in fasted and fed animals and increased approximately threefold after hypoxia. The basal phosphorylation states of Akt and GSK-3β and the activity of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) were comparable between fasted and fed control rats. Hypoxia significantly increased Akt phosphorylation and PP1 activity only in fed rats. In contrast, hypoxia did not induce significant change in GSK-3β phosphorylation in either fasted or fed rats. We conclude that hypoxia activates GS in fed rat myocardium through a combination of rapid glycogenolysis, elevated local G-6- P content, and increased PP1 activity, and fasting attenuates this action independent of local G-6- P content.

2007 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 835-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urs A. Leuenberger ◽  
Cynthia S. Hogeman ◽  
Sadeq Quraishi ◽  
Latoya Linton-Frazier ◽  
Kristen S. Gray

Short-term intermittent hypoxia leads to sustained sympathetic activation and a small increase in blood pressure in healthy humans. Because obstructive sleep apnea, a condition associated with intermittent hypoxia, is accompanied by elevated sympathetic activity and enhanced sympathetic chemoreflex responses to acute hypoxia, we sought to determine whether intermittent hypoxia also enhances chemoreflex activity in healthy humans. To this end, we measured the responses of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA, peroneal microneurography) to arterial chemoreflex stimulation and deactivation before and following exposure to a paradigm of repetitive hypoxic apnea (20 s/min for 30 min; O2 saturation nadir 81.4 ± 0.9%). Compared with baseline, repetitive hypoxic apnea increased MSNA from 113 ± 11 to 159 ± 21 units/min ( P = 0.001) and mean blood pressure from 92.1 ± 2.9 to 95.5 ± 2.9 mmHg ( P = 0.01; n = 19). Furthermore, compared with before, following intermittent hypoxia the MSNA (units/min) responses to acute hypoxia [fraction of inspired O2 (FiO2) 0.1, for 5 min] were enhanced (pre- vs. post-intermittent hypoxia: +16 ± 4 vs. +49 ± 10%; P = 0.02; n = 11), whereas the responses to hyperoxia (FiO2 0.5, for 5 min) were not changed significantly ( P = NS; n = 8). Thus 30 min of intermittent hypoxia is capable of increasing sympathetic activity and sensitizing the sympathetic reflex responses to hypoxia in normal humans. Enhanced sympathetic chemoreflex activity induced by intermittent hypoxia may contribute to altered neurocirculatory control and adverse cardiovascular consequences in sleep apnea.


2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (5) ◽  
pp. 1538-1544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariam Louis ◽  
Naresh M. Punjabi

Accumulating evidence suggests that obstructive sleep apnea is associated with alterations in glucose metabolism. Although the pathophysiology of metabolic dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea is not well understood, studies of murine models indicate that intermittent hypoxemia has an important contribution. However, corroborating data on the metabolic effects of intermittent hypoxia on glucose metabolism in humans are not available. Thus the primary aim of this study was to characterize the acute effects of intermittent hypoxia on glucose metabolism. Thirteen healthy volunteers were subjected to 5 h of intermittent hypoxia or normoxia during wakefulness in a randomized order on two separate days. The intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was used to assess insulin-dependent and insulin-independent measures of glucose disposal. The IVGTT data were analyzed using the minimal model to determine insulin sensitivity (SI) and glucose effectiveness (SG). Drops in oxyhemoglobin saturation were induced during wakefulness at an average rate of 24.3 events/h. Compared with the normoxia condition, intermittent hypoxia was associated with a decrease in SI [4.1 vs. 3.4 (mU/l)−1·min−1; P = 0.0179] and SG (1.9 vs. 1.3 min−1×10−2, P = 0.0065). Despite worsening insulin sensitivity with intermittent hypoxia, pancreatic insulin secretion was comparable between the two conditions. Heart rate variability analysis showed the intermittent hypoxia was associated with a shift in sympathovagal balance toward an increase in sympathetic nervous system activity. The average R-R interval on the electrocardiogram was 919.0 ms during the normoxia condition and 874.4 ms during the intermittent hypoxia condition ( P < 0.04). Serum cortisol levels after intermittent hypoxia and normoxia were similar. Hypoxic stress in obstructive sleep apnea may increase the predisposition for metabolic dysfunction by impairing insulin sensitivity, glucose effectiveness, and insulin secretion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 1042-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Juan Gu ◽  
Hua Hua Yi ◽  
Jing Feng ◽  
Zhi Guo Zhang ◽  
Jun Zhou ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with diabetes and insulin resistance, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The purpose of the current study was to determine the molecular effects of intermittent hypoxia (IH) on hepatic insulin signaling and glucose homeostasis, and whether c-Jun NH2-terminal-kinase (JNK) contributed to metabolic responses to IH in liver cells. Methods: The human HepG2 cells and rat FAO cells were exposed to 10, 30, 120, 240 or 360 cycles of IH (1% O2 for 60 s followed by 21% O2 for 60s, 7.5 cycles per hour) or normoxia as a control. In a subgroup, we exposed cells to 360 cycles of IH with the JNK inhibitor SP600125. After IH exposure, cell glycogen content and glucose output were measured using colorimetric assay kits. Canonical insulin signaling and gluconeogenic genes were measured by western blot and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: IH decreased insulin-stimulated protein kinase B (AKT)/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) phosphorylation in a time-dependent manner, while inhibiting forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) expression and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) transcription independent of insulin signaling. JNK inhibitor SP600125 partially restored AKT/ GSK-3β phosphorylation and glycogen synthesis, but did not affect other IH-induced glucose metabolic changes. Conclusion: IH in vitro impaired insulin signal transduction in liver cells as assessed by inhibited AKT/GSK-3β phosphorylation via JNK activation. IH inhibited FOXO1 and gluconeogenesis in an insulin-independent manner.


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