Supplementation with dietary leucine to a protein-deficient diet suppresses myofibrillar protein degradation in rats

Muscle mass is regulated by the synthesis and degradation of muscle protein, which in turn are affected by aging, several catabolic diseases, and malnutrition. Amino acids, particularly leucine, are known to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and suppress muscle protein degradation, although their long-term effects are unclear. The objective of our research was to elucidate whether long-term feeding of a protein-free or low-protein diet supplemented with leucine suppresses myofibrillar protein degradation. The rate of myofibrillar protein degradation was measured by the rate of release of 3-methylhistidine (MeHis) from isolated extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. The weight of gastrocnemius muscle decreased in rats fed a protein-free diet for 7 d; however, a leucine-supplemented (1.5%) diet tended to suppress this decrease. The release of MeHis from EDL muscle was increased by the protein-free diet and decreased by the feeding of a diet supplemented with leucine to the level of a 20% casein diet. When rats were fed a 5% casein diet, the gastrocnemius muscle weight decreased and MeHis release from EDL muscle increased compared to those fed a 20% casein diet. However, feeding of a 5% casein diet supplemented with leucine (1.15%) reduced muscle weight loss and MeHis release. These results suggest that long-term feeding of leucine suppresses the rate of myofibrillar protein degradation and muscle weight loss in rats fed a protein-deficient diet.     

Maslinic Acid Attenuates Denervation-Induced Loss of Skeletal Muscle Mass and Strength

Maslinic acid (MA) is a pentacyclic triterpene abundant in olive peels. MA reportedly increases skeletal muscle mass and strength in older adults; however, the underlying mechanism is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of MA on denervated muscle atrophy and strength and to explore the underlying molecular mechanism. Mice were fed either a control diet or a 0.27% MA diet. One week after intervention, the sciatic nerves of both legs were cut to induce muscle atrophy. Mice were examined 14 days after denervation. MA prevented the denervation-induced reduction in gastrocnemius muscle mass and skeletal muscle strength. Microarray gene expression profiling in gastrocnemius muscle demonstrated several potential mechanisms for muscle maintenance. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed different enriched biological processes, such as myogenesis, PI3/AKT/mTOR signaling, TNFα signaling via NF-κB, and TGF-β signaling in MA-treated mice. In addition, qPCR data showed that MA induced Igf1 expression and suppressed the expressions of Atrogin-1, Murf1 and Tgfb. Altogether, our results suggest the potential of MA as a new therapeutic and preventive dietary ingredient for muscular atrophy and strength.     

Effects of a soy protein diet on exercise-induced muscle protein catabolism in rats

OBJECTIVE: We examined effects of dietary soy protein isolate on muscle calpain activity and myosin heavy chain (MHC) degradation in rats performing an acute running exercise. METHODS: In rats fed a 20% casein diet, the treadmill running exercise, fixed at 80 kg/m, transiently increased calpain activity in gastrocnemius muscles in parallel with the release of creatine kinase into plasma. The fixed running also caused an accumulation of immunoreactive degradation fragments of MHC in the muscle. Feeding a 20% soy protein isolate diet as opposed to the control casein diet to rats significantly suppressed the running-induced activation of mu- and m-calpains, fragmentation of MHC, and release of creatine kinase into plasma (P < 0.05). RESULTS: Rats fed the soy protein isolate diet had significantly higher calpastatin activity in gastrocnemius muscle than did rats fed the casein diet (P < 0.05), indicating that this increase inhibits the exercise-induced autoactivation of calpain. Activities of proteasome, cathepsin B + L, and antioxidant enzymes and the levels of glutathione and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances in the muscle did not differ between the diet groups at the end of the exercise. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that diets containing soy protein prevent exercise-induced protein degradation in skeletal muscle, possibly through inhibiting the calpain-mediated proteolysis.     

Suppression of glycogen consumption during acute exercise by dietary branched-chain amino acids in rats

The effects of a diet supplemented with branched-chain amino acids (BCAA; 4.8% or 6.2%) on BCAA catabolism and glycogen metabolism in rats were examined. Rats were fed a BCAA diet or control diet for 4 wk and part of the rats were subjected to exercise training during the experimental period. Feeding the BCAA diet increased serum BCAA concentrations and activity of the hepatic branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complex, the rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of BCAA, suggesting that dietary BCAA promotes BCAA catabolism. Although the serum glucose concentration and glycogen contents in the liver and gastrocnemius muscle of rested rats were not significantly affected by feeding of the BCAA diet, those in rats exhausted by acute exercise were 2-4-fold higher in rats fed the BCAA diet than in rats fed the control diet. The activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in the liver and gastrocnemius muscle after acute exercise showed reverse trends; the complex activities (especially in liver) tended to be less in the BCAA diet group than in the control diet group. These results suggest that dietary BCAA spares glycogen stores in liver and skeletal muscle during exercise and that the decrease in pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity in these tissues by dietary BCAA is involved in the mechanisms.     

Subsarcolemmal and intermyofibrillar mitochondrial responses to short-term high-fat feeding in rat skeletal muscle

ObjectivesWe assessed the alterations in mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle that were elicited by short-term high-fat feeding in sedentary rats.MethodsTwo groups of rats were pair-fed for 1 wk and received a low-fat or high-fat diet. Body composition, energy balance, and glucose homeostasis were measured. Mitochondrial mass, oxidative capacity, and energetic efficiency as well as parameters of oxidative stress and antioxidant defense were evaluated in subsarcolemmal and intermyofibrillar mitochondria from the skeletal muscle.ResultsBody energy, lipid content, and metabolic efficiency were significantly higher and energy expenditure was significantly decreased among rats that were fed a high-fat diet, as compared with controls. Skeletal muscle mitochondrial energetic efficiency, oxidative capacity for lipid substrates, and antioxidant defense were significantly increased in rats that were fed a high-fat diet as compared with controls.ConclusionsAcute isocaloric high-fat feeding is able to induce increased phosphorylation efficiency in skeletal muscle subsarcolemmal and intermyofibrillar mitochondria. This modification implies a reduced oxidation of energy substrates that may contribute to the early onset of obesity.     

Effects of sources of dietary fat and protein on tissue cholesterol

Dietary variables were soy oil, beef tallow, soy protein, and casein. Dietary combinations were soy oil-soy protein, soy-oil casein, beef tallow-soy protein, and beef tallow-casein, and 96 rats were allotted randomly to the four isocaloric diets. [Crystalline cholesterol was added to standardize each diet at 0.2%.] Two randomly selected rats from each dietary group were killed at 0, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 22, 30, 36, 42, and 48 days on experiment to determine the effects of sources (plant versus animal) of dietary fat and protein on tissue cholesterol concentrations and on cholesterogenesis in liver and small intestine. Feeding soy oil, a polyunsaturated fat, resulted in lower blood cholesterol concentrations, higher liver cholesterol concentrations, and lower intestinal cholesterogenesis than did feeding beef tallow, a saturated fat. Feeding soy protein, a plant protein, resulted in lower blood and liver cholesterol concentrations and less intestinal cholesterogenesis than did feeding casein, an animal protein. Hepatic cholesterogenesis and intestinal tissue cholesterol levels were not affected significantly by diet. Eight rats killed at day 0 had, on the average, lesser plasma cholesterol concentrations and greater rates of intestinal cholesterogenesis than rats fed experimental diets. Our results demonstrate that the hypocholesterolemic action of soy oil and soy protein fed to rats may be related to decreased intestinal cholesterogenesis. In addition, soy oil, a polyunsaturated fat caused a redistribution of cholesterol from plasma to liver.     

Effect of different dietary protein composition on skeletal muscle atrophy by suspension hypokinesia/hypodynamia in rats

Under microgravity conditions similar to those in space, it is known that various nutritional and physiological changes in the body are induced. Especially in the aspect of nutrition, muscle atrophy is a characteristic phenomenon accompanying weightlessness. This study was conducted to investigate the ameliorated effect of muscle atrophy caused by suspension hypokinesia by using the soy protein isolate (SPI) as the protein source in comparison with casein. Male Wistar strain rats (8 wk old) were divided into two groups, each suspended with a suspension harness, and fed on a 20% SPI diet or a 20% casein diet for 10 d. The body weights of the suspended rats fed casein or SPI decreased similarly. The weight of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscle were decreased by suspension hypokinesia; however, the degree of the decrease of the muscle weights, especially soleus muscles, of rats fed the SPI diet was smaller than that of rats fed the casein diet. Serum Ntau-methylhistidine concentration was significantly lower in rats fed the SPI diet than in rats fed the casein diet. Similarly, the activities of muscle protein-degrading enzymes such as calpain and proteasome were significantly lower in rats fed the SPI diet than in rats fed the casein diet. Cathepsin B+L activities were not affected by the SPI or the casein diet. Therefore it is suggested that SPI caused a reduction of the proteolysis of myofibrillar protein in skeletal muscles through a reduction of calpain and proteasome activities, in consequence to ameliorate the muscle atrophy.     

Egg Yolk Protein Delays Recovery while Ovalbumin Is Useful in Recovery from Iron Deficiency Anemia

Protein is a main nutrient involved in overall iron metabolism in vivo. In order to assess the prevention of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) by diet, it is necessary to confirm the influence of dietary protein, which coexists with iron, on iron bioavailability. We investigated the usefulness of the egg structural protein in recovery from IDA. Thirty-one female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a control group (n = 6) fed a casein diet (4.0 mg Fe/100 g) for 42 days and an IDA model group (n = 25) created by feeding a low-iron casein diet (LI, 0.4 mg Fe/100 g) for 21 days and these IDA rats were fed normal iron diet with different proteins from eggs for another 21 days. The IDA rats were further divided into four subgroups depending on the proteins fed during the last 21 days, which were those with an egg white diet (LI-W, 4.0 mg Fe/100 g, n = 6), those with an ovalbumin diet (LI-A, 4.0 mg Fe/100 g, n = 7), those with an egg yolk-supplemented diet (LI-Y, 4.0 mg Fe/100 g, n = 6), and the rest with a casein diet (LI-C, 4.0 mg Fe/100 g, n = 6). In the LI-Y group, recovery of the hematocrit, hemoglobin, transferrin saturation level and the hepatic iron content were delayed compared to the other groups (p < 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, and 0.05, respectively), resulting in no recovery from IDA at the end of the experimental period. There were no significant differences in blood parameters in the LI-W and LI-A groups compared to the control group. The hepatic iron content of the LI-W and LI-A groups was higher than that of the LI-C group (p < 0.05). We found that egg white protein was useful for recovery from IDA and one of the efficacious components was ovalbumin, while egg yolk protein delayed recovery of IDA. This study demonstrates, therefore, that bioavailability of dietary iron varies depending on the source of dietary protein.     

Effect of level of dietary protein and total or partial starvation on catalase and superoxide dismutase activity in cardiac and skeletal muscles in young rats

In cells the level of potentially toxic superoxide radical (O2-) is controlled by superoxide dismutase (SOD); the level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), also potentially toxic, is controlled by catalase and glutathione peroxidase. To study the effects of altered food intake or dietary protein content on SOD and catalase in cardiac and skeletal muscles, young rats were fed ad libitum diets containing 3, 6 or 25% casein or were subjected to total or partial food restriction (resulting in similar body weight losses). Rats fed a diet containing 3 or 6% casein had much lower growth rates than those fed 25% casein, but the muscle catalase activities were similar in all three groups. Catalase activities in muscles of rats whose food intake was restricted were twice those in rats fed ad libitum. Rats fed ad libitum had higher muscle SOD activities at 41 days of age than did 25-day-old rats, irrespective of the amount of dietary protein or the rate of growth. Twenty-five-day-old rats whose food intake was totally restricted for 2 days had skeletal muscle SOD activities similar to the higher activities seen at 41 days of age in ad libitum-fed rats, but SOD activity in the heart was unchanged after food restriction. The responses of catalase and SOD in muscles differ from the responses reported for these enzymes in liver and erythrocytes when food intake or dietary protein is altered.     

Dietary whey protein increases liver and skeletal muscle glycogen levels in exercise-trained rats

We investigated the effect of different types of dietary protein on glycogen content in liver and skeletal muscle of exercise-trained rats. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats (approximately 100 g; n 6 per group) were divided into sedentary or exercise-trained groups with each group being fed either casein or whey protein as the source of dietary protein. Rats in the exercised groups were trained during 2 weeks using swimming exercise for 120 min/d, 6 d/week. Exercise training resulted in an increase in the skeletal muscle glycogen content. Furthermore, the whey protein group significantly increased the skeletal muscle glycogen content compared with the casein group. The increase in glycogen content in liver was significantly greater in rats fed the whey protein diet compared with those fed the casein diet. We also found that the whey protein diet increased the activity of liver glucokinase, whereas it decreased the activities of 6-phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase compared with the casein diet. However, hepatic total glycogen synthase activity and mRNA expression were similar with the two diets. In the skeletal muscle, whey protein decreased only 6-phosphofructokinase activity compared with casein. Total glycogen synthase activity in the skeletal muscle in the whey protein group was significantly higher than that in the casein group. The present study is the first to demonstrate that a diet based on whey protein may increase glycogen content in liver and skeletal muscle of exercise-trained rats. We also observed that whey protein regulated glycogen metabolism in these two tissues by different mechanisms.     

Reduced adiposity in bitter melon (Momordica charantia) fed rats is associated with lower tissue triglyceride and higher plasma catecholamines

Slower weight gain and less visceral fat had been observed when rats fed a high-fat diet were supplemented with freeze-dried bitter melon (BM) juice; the metabolic consequences and possible mechanism(s) were further explored in the present study. In a 4-week experiment, rats were fed a low-fat (70 g/kg) or a high-fat (300 g/kg) diet with or without BM (7.5 g/kg or 0.75%). BM-supplemented rats had lower energy efficiency, visceral fat mass, plasma glucose and hepatic triacylglycerol, but higher serum free fatty acids and plasma catecholamines. In the second experiment, 7-week BM supplementation in high-fat diet rats led to a lowering of hepatic triacylglycerol (P<0.05) and steatosis score (P<0.05) similar to those in rats fed a low-fat diet. BM supplementation did not affect serum and hepatic cholesterol. However, plasma epinephrine and serum free fatty acid concentrations were increased (P<0.05). In the third experiment, BM(7.5 and 15 g/kg) and 1.5 % BM lowered triacylglycerol concentration in red gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior (P<0.05) muscle, but a dose-response effect was not observed. These data suggest that chronic BM feeding leads to a general decrease in tissue fat accumulation and that such an effect is mediated in part by enhanced sympathetic activity and lipolysis. BM or its bioactive ingredient(s) could be used as a dietary adjunct in the control of body weight and blood glucose.     

Effect of egg white and its hydrolysate on stearoyl-CoA desaturase index and fat accumulation in rat tissues

We investigated the dietary effects of egg white (EW) and its hydrolysate (EWH) on fat metabolism in rats. Wistar rats were divided into casein, EW and EWH dietary groups, and fed their respective diet for 8 weeks. Dietary EW and EWH decreased food intake, body weight gain and fat accumulation in the carcass, liver, muscles and adipose tissues, but muscle weight was increased. In addition, dietary EW and EWH decreased stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) indices and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity of the liver and gastrocnemius muscle. Dietary EW also increased the fecal excretion of triacylglycerol, cholesterol and total bile acids, and decreased the serum levels of triacylglycerol and leptin. The suppressive effects of dietary EW on food intake and body fat accumulation were weakened by dietary EWH. These findings indicate that EW and EWH, especially EW, are effective in reducing body fat accumulation by regulating hepatic and muscular SCD indices.     

大豆蛋白对高脂饲料喂养大鼠固醇调节元件结合蛋白基因表达的影响

目的探讨大豆蛋白在正常饮食和高脂饮食状态下对大鼠脂代谢相关固醇调节元件结合蛋白(SREBP)基因表达水平的影响。方法 48只清洁级SD大鼠,按体重随机分为4组,分别喂饲含酪蛋白和大豆蛋白的正常饲料和高脂饲料28d后,脱颈椎处死动物,检测激素指标及基因表达水平。结果大豆蛋白组大鼠血清胰岛素水平和胰岛素/胰高血糖素比值显著低于酪蛋白组(P<0.05);大豆蛋白高脂组大鼠血清胰岛素水平显著低于酪蛋白高脂组(P<0.05);大豆蛋白组和大豆蛋白高脂组大鼠肝脏SREBP-1,2基因表达均分别显著低于酪蛋白组和酪蛋白高脂组(P<0.05);大豆蛋白组和大豆蛋白高脂组大鼠肝脏SREBP-1蛋白表达明显低于酪蛋白组和酪蛋白高脂组(P<0.05)。结论大豆蛋白可能通过影响胰岛素进而影响SREBP-1基因表达来调节血脂水平。     

Effect of high-fat feeding on metabolic efficiency and mitochondrial oxidative capacity in adult rats

The changes in metabolic efficiency, body composition, and nutrient partitioning induced by high-fat feeding were evaluated in adult rats (90 d of age). The alterations in serum free triiodothyronine, insulin, and leptin levels, as well as in hepatic and skeletal muscle metabolism, were also assessed. Rats were fed either a low- or a high-fat diet for 2 weeks. Relative to the low-fat feeding, energy intake and expenditure, as well as body-energy gain, lipid gain, and energetic efficiency, were increased by the high-fat feeding. Increased serum leptin levels accompanied these variations. A positive correlation between serum leptin levels and percentage of body fat was found in the rats fed the low- or high-fat diet, with a significant divergence between the slope of the regression lines. Furthermore, a negative correlation between serum leptin level and energy intake was found in the rats fed the low-fat diet, while a positive correlation was found in the rats fed the high-fat diet. Finally, the high-fat feeding decreased the hepatic and skeletal muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity. It is concluded that, in adult rats, a nutritional factor such as a high level of fat in the diet induces obesity, leptin resistance, and impairment of mitochondrial capacity, all phenomena typical of unrestrained aged rats.     

Plasma and muscle carnitine in experimental uremia

The effect of uremia and dietary protein intake on carnitine levels in skeletal muscle and plasma of rats was evaluated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 160–180 g were made chronically uremic by partial ligation of left renal artery and contralateral nephrectomy. Rats were fed diets containing 8% or 18% casein ad libitum for 8 weeks and sham-operated pair-fed animals were used as controls. At the end of the experiment, all animals were fasted overnight and decapitated. Skeletal muscle and plasma were assayed for free, total acid-soluble and long-chain acylcarnitines. The concentration of total carnitines in skeletal muscle were similar in uremic and control rats fed either 8% or 18% casein diet. However, the muscle long chain acylcarnitines were higher in rats fed the 18% casein diet than those fed the 8% casein diet. Diets (8% or 18% casein) had no effect on the plasma carnitine level, although uremic rats had lower levels than the controls. This study has shown that kidney dysfunction may affect the plasma carnitines level but not the total skeletal muscle carnitines concentration.     

Effect of palatable hyperlipidic diet on lipid metabolism of sedentary and exercised rats

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to examine 1) whether continuous feeding with a palatable hyperlipidic diet and cycling this diet with chow diet would affect lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in a similar way; and 2) whether the effect of chronic exercise on lipid and carbohydrate metabolism would be modified by these diet regimens. METHODS: Male 25-d-old Wistar rats were assigned to one of six groups: sedentary rats fed with chow diet; exercised (swimming 90 min/d, 5 d/wk) rats fed with chow diet; sedentary rats fed with a palatable hyperlipidic diet; exercised rats fed with the palatable hyperlipidic diet; sedentary rats fed with food cycles (four cycles alternating the chow and hyperlipidic diets weekly); and exercised rats fed with food cycles. After 8 wk of treatment, the animals were killed 24 h after the last exercise session. RESULTS: The hyperlipidic diet and food cycles schedules caused similar increases in body weight gain, carcass lipogenesis rate and adiposity, lipid content of the liver and gastrocnemius muscle, and serum total lipid, triacylglycerol, insulin, and leptin levels. The exercise attenuated body weight gain, adipose tissue mass, and serum triacylglycerol, insulin, and leptin levels similarly in the hyperlipidic and food cycles groups. Carcass lipogenesis rate was not affected by exercise in any of the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: The data showed that the continuous intake of a hyperlipidic palatable diet for 8 wk and the alternation of the high-fat intake with periods of chow intake cause obesity and affected lipid metabolism in a similar way. Chronic exercise attenuated body weight gain and adiposity and improved serum lipid concentrations in both high-fat feeding regimens.     

Soy protein isolate and its hydrolysate reduce body fat of dietary obese rats and genetically obese mice (yellow KK)

This study examined in dietary obese and genetically obese rodents the effects of soy protein isolate (SPI) and its hydrolysate (SPI-H) on the rate of body-fat disappearance. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (4-16 wk old) and yellow KK mice (6-10 wk old) were made obese by feeding high-fat diets containing 30% fat. They were then fed energy-restricted, low-fat (5.0%), and high-protein (35% casein, SPI, or SPI-H) diets for 4 wk at 60% of the level of the energy intake of rodents on laboratory chow. The body-fat contents of rats and mice fed a high-fat diet were 27.3 and 33.6 g/100 g body weight, respectively, at the end of the obese period. For rats, the apparent absorbability of dietary energy and fat was significantly lower in the SPI and SPI-H groups than in the casein group, but vice-versa for nitrogen balance. Body-fat content in mice fed SPI and SPI-H diets was significantly lower than in those fed the casein diet. In rats, plasma total cholesterol level was lower with the SPI-H diet, and plasma glucose level was lower with the SPI and SPI-H diets than with the casein diet. These results indicate that SPI and SPI-H are suitable protein sources in energy-restricted diets for the treatment of obesity.     

罗格列酮及饮食干预对胰岛素抵抗大鼠骨骼肌GLUT4转位的影响

目的　探讨罗格列酮对胰岛素抵抗大鼠骨骼肌细胞葡萄糖转运蛋白 4(GLUT4)转位的影响。方法　利用高脂饲料喂养 ,使Sprague -Dawley(SD)大鼠产生胰岛素抵抗 ,用罗格列酮及饮食干预治疗 4周后 ,取骨骼肌组织 ,应用Western -bloting印迹法分析骨骼细胞膜GLUT4表达量。结果　在胰岛素刺激下 ,胰岛素抵抗大鼠骨骼肌细胞膜GLUT4表达较正常大鼠下降 5 2 72 %(P <0 0 0 1) ,罗格列酮及饮食干预组 ,细胞膜GLUT4表达较未干预胰岛素抵抗大鼠分别增加 49 5 3 %、5 0 3 4%(P <0 0 0 1)。结论　罗格列酮可促进胰岛素刺激的GLUT4转位 ,从而改善高脂喂养所引起的骨骼肌组织胰岛素抵抗     

Effects of aged garlic extract and endurance exercise on skeletal muscle FNDC-5 and circulating irisin in high-fat-diet rat models

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Irisin, a newly identified hormone, is associated with energy homeostasis. We investigated whether aged garlic extract (AGE) and exercise training intervention could improve body weight, insulin sensitivity, skeletal muscle fibronectin domain containing protein 5 (FNDC-5) levels, and plasma irisin in high-fat diet (HFD).

MATERIALS/METHODS

Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed a ND (normal diet, n = 5) or HFD (n = 28) for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, all rats were divided into 5 groups for the next 4 weeks: ND, (normal diet, n = 5), HFD (high-fat diet, n = 7), HFDA (high-fat diet + aged garlic extract, n = 7), HFDE (high-fat diet + exercise, n = 7), and HFDEA (high-fat diet + exercise + aged garlic extract, n = 7). Exercise groups performed treadmill exercises for 15-60 min, 5 days/week, and AGE groups received AGE (2.86 g/kg, orally injected) for 4 weeks.

RESULTS

Significant decreases in body weight were observed in the ND, HFDE, and HFDEA groups, as compared with the HFD group. Neither intervention affected the masses of the gastrocnemius muscle or liver. There were no significant differences in glucose levels across the groups. The homeostatic model assessments of insulin resistance were significantly higher in the HFD group, as compared with the ND, HFDA, HFDE, and HFDEA groups. However, skeletal muscle FNDC-5 levels and plasma irisin concentrations were unaffected by AGE or exercise in obese rats. AGE supplementation and exercise training did not affect skeletal muscle FNDC-5 or plasma irisin, which are associated with insulin sensitivity in obese rats.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the protection against HFD-induced increases in body fat/weight and insulin resistance that are provided by AGE supplementation and exercise training may not be mediated by the regulation of FNDC-5 or irisin.     

The utilization of carnosine in rats fed on a histidine-free diet and its effect on the levels of tissue histidine and carnosine

Carnosine can support the growth of rats fed on a histidine-free diet. Rats fed on the histidine-free diet lost weight rapidly for a few days, then remained at a relatively constant weight for 2 weeks at least. However, rats fed on a 0.90% carnosine diet, which contains histidine equimolar to that in a 20% casein diet, increased their weight at the same rate as rats fed on a 20% amino acid diet simulated with casein. On the other hand, the growth of rats fed on a 5% carnosine diet was about 70% compared with that of control rats fed on the 20% amino acid diet for a 2-week experimental period. Carnosinase activity was not significantly affected in the kidney of rats fed on the histidine-free or the 5% carnosine diet. On the other hand, carnosinase activity in the small intestine of rats fed on the histidine-free diet was significantly increased. Histidine content of serum of rats fed on the histidine-free diet decreased to 1/3 of that of control rats, while that of rats fed on the 5% carnosine diet increased to about 14 times. Carnosine content of rat gastrocnemius muscle increased with carnosine content of diets, followed by an increase of histidine in the muscle. However, carnosinase activity of gastrocnemius muscle was not affected by carnosine in diets.