scholarly journals Passive heat therapy in sedentary humans increases skeletal muscle capillarization and eNOS content but not mitochondrial density or GLUT4 content

2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (1) ◽  
pp. H114-H123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Hesketh ◽  
Sam O. Shepherd ◽  
Juliette A. Strauss ◽  
David A. Low ◽  
Robert J. Cooper ◽  
...  

Passive heat therapy (PHT) has been proposed as an alternative intervention to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) in individuals who are unable or unwilling to exercise. This study aimed to make the first comparison of the effect of PHT and MICT on 1) skeletal muscle capillarization and endothelial-specific endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) content and 2) mitochondrial density, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), and intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) content. Twenty young sedentary males (21 ± 1 yr, body mass index 25 ± 1 kg/m2) were allocated to either 6 wk of PHT ( n = 10; 40–50 min at 40°C in a heat chamber, 3×/wk) or MICT ( n = 10; time-matched cycling at ~65% V̇o2peak). Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis muscle before and after training. Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to assess changes in skeletal muscle mitochondrial density (mitochondrial marker cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4), GLUT4, and IMTG content, capillarization, and endothelial-specific eNOS content. V̇o2peakand whole body insulin sensitivity were also assessed. PHT and MICT both increased capillary density (PHT 21%; MICT 12%), capillary-fiber perimeter exchange index (PHT 15%; MICT 12%) ( P < 0.05), and endothelial-specific eNOS content (PHT 8%; MICT 12%) ( P < 0.05). However, unlike MICT (mitochondrial density 40%; GLUT4 14%; IMTG content 70%) ( P < 0.05), PHT did not increase mitochondrial density (11%, P = 0.443), GLUT4 (7%, P = 0.217), or IMTG content (1%, P = 0.957). Both interventions improved aerobic capacity (PHT 5%; MICT 7%) and whole body insulin sensitivity (PHT 15%; MICT 36%) ( P < 0.05). Six-week PHT in young sedentary males increases skeletal muscle capillarization and eNOS content to a similar extent as MICT; however, unlike MICT, PHT does not affect skeletal muscle mitochondrial density, GLUT4, or IMTG content.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The effect of 6-wk passive heat therapy (PHT) compared with moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) was investigated in young sedentary males. PHT induced similar increases in skeletal muscle capillarization and endothelial-specific endothelial nitric oxide synthase content to MICT. Unlike MICT, PHT did not improve skeletal muscle mitochondrial density, glucose transporter 4, or intramuscular triglyceride content. These microvascular adaptations were paralleled by improvements in V̇o2peakand insulin sensitivity, suggesting that microvascular adaptations may contribute to functional improvements following PHT.

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 1828-1838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna M Honkala ◽  
Jarkko Johansson ◽  
Kumail K Motiani ◽  
Jari-Joonas Eskelinen ◽  
Kirsi A Virtanen ◽  
...  

Brain insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (GU) is increased in obese and insulin resistant subjects but normalizes after weight loss along with improved whole-body insulin sensitivity. Our aim was to study whether short-term exercise training (moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) or sprint interval training (SIT)) alters substrates for brain energy metabolism in insulin resistance. Sedentary subjects ( n = 21, BMI 23.7–34.3 kg/m2, age 43–55 y) with insulin resistance were randomized into MICT ( n = 11, intensity≥60% of VO2peak) or SIT ( n = 10, all-out) groups for a two-week training intervention. Brain GU during insulin stimulation and fasting brain free fatty acid uptake (FAU) was measured using PET. At baseline, brain GU was positively associated with the fasting insulin level and negatively with the whole-body insulin sensitivity. The whole-body insulin sensitivity improved with both training modes (20%, p = 0.007), while only SIT led to an increase in aerobic capacity (5%, p = 0.03). SIT also reduced insulin-stimulated brain GU both in global cortical grey matter uptake (12%, p = 0.03) and in specific regions ( p < 0.05, all areas except the occipital cortex), whereas no changes were observed after MICT. Brain FAU remained unchanged after the training in both groups. These findings show that short-term SIT effectively decreases insulin-stimulated brain GU in sedentary subjects with insulin resistance.


Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (5) ◽  
pp. 2142-2151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miles J. De Blasio ◽  
Kathryn L. Gatford ◽  
M. Lyn Harland ◽  
Jeffrey S. Robinson ◽  
Julie A. Owens

Poor growth before birth is associated with impaired insulin sensitivity later in life, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes. The tissue sites at which insulin resistance first develops after intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and its molecular basis, are unclear. We have therefore characterized the effects of placental restriction (PR), a major cause of IUGR, on whole-body insulin sensitivity and expression of molecular determinants of insulin signaling and glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and liver of young lambs. Whole-body insulin sensitivity was measured at 30 d by hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp and expression of insulin signaling genes (receptors, pathways, and targets) at 43 d in muscle and liver of control (n = 15) and PR (n = 13) lambs. PR reduced size at birth and increased postnatal growth, fasting plasma glucose (+15%, P = 0.004), and insulin (+115%, P = 0.009). PR reduced whole-body insulin sensitivity (−43%, P &lt; 0.001) and skeletal muscle expression of INSR (−36%), IRS1 (−28%), AKT2 (−44%), GLUT4 (−88%), GSK3α (−35%), and GYS1 (−31%) overall (each P &lt; 0.05) and decreased AMPKγ3 expression in females (P = 0.030). PR did not alter hepatic expression of insulin signaling and related genes but increased GLUT2 expression (P = 0.047) in males. Whole-body insulin sensitivity correlated positively with skeletal muscle expression of IRS1, AKT2, HK, AMPKγ2, and AMPKγ3 in PR lambs only (each P &lt; 0.05) but not with hepatic gene expression in control or PR lambs. Onset of insulin resistance after PR and IUGR is accompanied by, and can be accounted for by, reduced expression of insulin signaling and metabolic genes in skeletal muscle but not liver.


2020 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoungrae Kim ◽  
Blake A. Reid ◽  
Caitlin A. Casey ◽  
Brooke E. Bender ◽  
Bohyun Ro ◽  
...  

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of repeated exposure to local heat therapy (HT) on skeletal muscle function, myofiber morphology, capillarization, and mitochondrial content in humans. Twelve young adults (23.6 ± 4.8 yr, body mass index 24.9 ± 3.0 kg/m2) had one randomly selected thigh treated with HT (garment perfused with water at ~52°C) for 8 consecutive weeks (90 min, 5 days/wk) while the opposite thigh served as a control. Biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle before and after 4 and 8 wk of treatment. Knee extensor strength and fatigue resistance were also assessed using isokinetic dynamometry. The changes in peak isokinetic torque were higher ( P = 0.007) in the thigh exposed to HT than in the control thigh at weeks 4 (control 4.2 ± 13.1 Nm vs. HT 9.1 ± 16.1 Nm) and 8 (control 1.8 ± 9.7 Nm vs. HT 7.8 ± 10.2 Nm). Exposure to HT averted a temporal decline in capillarization around type II fibers ( P < 0.05), but had no effect on capillarization indexes in type I fibers. The content of endothelial nitric oxide synthase was ~18% and 35% higher in the thigh exposed to HT at 4 and 8 wk, respectively ( P = 0.003). Similarly, HT increased the content of small heat shock proteins HSPB5 ( P = 0.007) and HSPB1 ( P = 0.009). There were no differences between thighs for the changes in fiber cross-sectional area and mitochondrial content. These results indicate that exposure to local HT for 8 wk promotes a proangiogenic environment and enhances muscle strength but does not affect mitochondrial content in humans. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We demonstrate that repeated application of heat therapy to the thigh with a garment perfused with warm water enhances the strength of knee extensors and influences muscle capillarization in parallel with increases in the content of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and small heat shock proteins. This practical method of passive heat stress may be a feasible tool to treat conditions associated with capillary rarefaction and muscle weakness.


1991 ◽  
Vol 261 (4) ◽  
pp. E437-E443 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Houmard ◽  
P. C. Egan ◽  
P. D. Neufer ◽  
J. E. Friedman ◽  
W. S. Wheeler ◽  
...  

Exercise training has been proposed to improve whole body insulin sensitivity through a postreceptor adaptation in skeletal muscle. This study examined if levels of the insulin-responsive muscle glucose transporter protein (GLUT-4) were associated with improved insulin sensitivity in trained vs. sedentary middle-aged individuals. Muscle GLUT-4 levels and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) responses were obtained in age-matched trained and sedentary men (n = 11). Plasma insulin levels during the OGTT were significantly lower (P less than 0.01) in the trained men, whereas no differences were seen in plasma glucose responses. GLUT-4 protein content was approximately twofold higher in the trained men (2.41 +/- 0.17 vs. 1.36 +/- 0.11 micrograms standard, P less than 0.001). OGTT responses and GLUT-4 levels were not altered 15-18 h after a standard exercise bout in six representative sedentary subjects. These data suggest that GLUT-4 levels are increased in conjunction with insulin sensitivity in chronically exercise-trained middle-aged men. This finding suggests a possible mechanism for the improved insulin sensitivity observed with exercise training in humans.


1998 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Butler ◽  
A.D. Morris ◽  
A. D. Struthers

1. Recent evidence shows that skeletal muscle blood flow is an important determinant of insulin sensitivity and that insulin-mediated vasodilatation is nitric oxide dependent. These results have given rise to the hypothesis that endothelial nitric oxide inhibition may decrease insulin sensitivity in humans. 2. We examined this hypothesis directly by evaluating the effects of systemic nitric oxide synthase inhibition with NG-monomethyl l-arginine (3 mg h−1 kg−1) on whole-body glucose uptake (euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp) and calf blood flow (bilateral calf venous occlusion plethysmography) in 16 healthy male subjects in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. 3. NG-Monomethyl l-arginine infusion was associated with a pressor effect (119/61 ± 2/2 compared with 114/58 ± 2/2 mmHg for placebo; P < 0.001), and a negative chronotropic response (57 ± 2 compared with 62 ± 2 beats/min for placebo; P < 0.001). The glucose infusion rate was significantly increased after infusion of NG-monomethyl l-arginine (8.9 ± 0.9 compared with 7.9 ± 0.8 mg min−1 kg−1 for placebo; P = 0.002). Whole-body glucose uptake increased during the clamp, with values of 9.4 ± 0.7 and 10.9 ± 0.8 mg min−1 kg−1 for placebo and NG-monomethyl l-arginine respectively (P = 0.036; 95% confidence interval 0.2,2.8). NG-Monomethyl l-arginine was associated with increased calf blood flow by comparison with placebo (P < 0.05, area under curve). 4. These data show for the first time that systemic inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis increases rather than decreases whole-body glucose uptake. We suggest that the higher skeletal muscle blood flow seen after NG-monomethyl l-arginine may explain the observed increase in whole-body glucose uptake.


Aging Cell ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Chee ◽  
Chris E. Shannon ◽  
Aisling Burns ◽  
Anna L. Selby ◽  
Daniel Wilkinson ◽  
...  

1986 ◽  
Vol 250 (5) ◽  
pp. E570-E575
Author(s):  
G. K. Grimditch ◽  
R. J. Barnard ◽  
S. A. Kaplan ◽  
E. Sternlicht

We examined the hypothesis that the exercise training-induced increase in skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity is mediated by adaptations in insulin binding to sarcolemmal (SL) insulin receptors. Insulin binding studies were performed on rat skeletal muscle SL isolated from control and trained rats. No significant differences were noted between groups in body weight or fat. An intravenous glucose tolerance test showed an increase in whole-body insulin sensitivity with training, and specific D-glucose transport studies on isolated SL vesicles indicated that this was due in part to adaptations in skeletal muscle. Enzyme marker analyses revealed no differences in yield, purity, or contamination of SL membranes between the two groups. Scatchard analyses indicated no significant differences in the number of insulin binding sites per milligram SL protein on the high-affinity (15.0 +/- 4.1 vs. 18.1 +/- 6.4 X 10(9)) or on the low-affinity portions (925 +/- 80 vs. 884 +/- 106 X 10(9)) of the curves. The association constants of the high-affinity (0.764 +/- 0.154 vs. 0.685 +/- 0.264 X 10(9) M-1) and of the low affinity sites (0.0096 +/- 0.0012 vs. 0.0102 +/- 0.0012 X 10(9) M-1) also were similar. These results do not support the hypothesis that the increased sensitivity to insulin after exercise training is due to changes in SL insulin receptor binding.


1996 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 1963-1967 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Nakai ◽  
Y. Shimomura ◽  
N. Ohsaki ◽  
J. Sato ◽  
Y. Oshida ◽  
...  

We examined the effects of exercise training initiated before maturation or after maturation on insulin sensitivity and glucose transporter GLUT-4 content in membrane fractions of skeletal muscle. Female Wistar rats (4 wk of age) were divided into sedentary and exercise-trained groups. At 12 wk of age, a subset of the trained animals (Tr) was killed along with a subset of sedentary controls (Sed). One-half of the remaining sedentary animals remained sedentary (Sed-Sed) while the other half began exercise training (Sed-Tr). The remaining rats in the original trained group continued to train (Tr-Tr). Euglycemic clamp (insulin infusion rate at 6 mU.kg body wt-1. min-1) was performed at 4, 12, and 27 wk. After euglycemic clamp in all animals except the 4-wk-old, hindlimb (gastrocnemius and part of quadriceps) muscles were removed for preparation of membrane fractions. In sedentary rats, glucose infusion rate (GIR) during euglycemic clamp was decreased from 15.9 mg.kg-1.min-1 at 4 wk of age to 9.8 mg.kg-1.min-1 at 12 wk of age and 9.1 mg.kg-1.min-1 at 27 wk of age. In exercise-trained rats, the GIR was not significantly decreased by maturation (at 12 wk) and further aging (at 27 wk). Initiation of exercise after maturation restored the GIR at 27 wk of age to the same levels as these for the corresponding exercise-trained rats. GLUT-4 content in plasma and intracellular membrane fractions of hindlimb muscle obtained just after euglycemic clamp showed the same trend as the results of GIR. These results suggest that exercise training prevented the maturation-induced decrease in insulin sensitivity. Improvement of insulin sensitivity caused by exercise training was attributed, at least in part, to the increase in insulin-sensitive GLUT-4 on the plasma membrane in skeletal muscle.


2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leryn J. Reynolds ◽  
Daniel P. Credeur ◽  
Camila Manrique ◽  
Jaume Padilla ◽  
Paul J. Fadel ◽  
...  

Increased endothelin-1 (ET-1) and reduced endothelial nitric oxide phosphorylation (peNOS) are hypothesized to reduce insulin-stimulated blood flow in type 2 diabetes (T2D), but studies examining these links in humans are limited. We sought to assess basal and insulin-stimulated endothelial signaling proteins (ET-1 and peNOS) in skeletal muscle from T2D patients. Ten obese T2D [glucose disposal rate (GDR): 6.6 ± 1.6 mg·kg lean body mass (LBM)−1·min−1] and 11 lean insulin-sensitive subjects (Lean GDR: 12.9 ± 1.2 mg·kg LBM−1·min−1) underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp with vastus lateralis biopsies taken before and 60 min into the clamp. Basal biopsies were also taken in 11 medication-naïve, obese, non-T2D subjects. ET-1, peNOS (Ser1177), and eNOS protein and mRNA were measured from skeletal muscle samples containing native microvessels. Femoral artery blood flow was assessed by duplex Doppler ultrasound. Insulin-stimulated blood flow was reduced in obese T2D (Lean: +50.7 ± 6.5% baseline, T2D: +20.8 ± 5.2% baseline, P < 0.05). peNOS/eNOS content was higher in Lean under basal conditions and, although not increased by insulin, remained higher in Lean during the insulin clamp than in obese T2D ( P < 0.05). ET-1 mRNA and peptide were 2.25 ± 0.50- and 1.52 ± 0.11-fold higher in obese T2D compared with Lean at baseline, and ET-1 peptide remained 2.02 ± 1.9-fold elevated in obese T2D after insulin infusion ( P < 0.05) but did not increase with insulin in either group ( P > 0.05). Obese non-T2D subjects tended to also display elevated basal ET-1 ( P = 0.06). In summary, higher basal skeletal muscle expression of ET-1 and reduced peNOS/eNOS may contribute to a reduced insulin-stimulated leg blood flow response in obese T2D patients. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although impairments in endothelial signaling are hypothesized to reduce insulin-stimulated blood flow in type 2 diabetes (T2D), human studies examining these links are limited. We provide the first measures of nitric oxide synthase and endothelin-1 expression from skeletal muscle tissue containing native microvessels in individuals with and without T2D before and during insulin stimulation. Higher basal skeletal muscle expression of endothelin-1 and reduced endothelial nitric oxide phosphorylation (peNOS)/eNOS may contribute to reduced insulin-stimulated blood flow in obese T2D patients.


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