Acute inhibition by ethanol of intestinal absorption of glucose and hepatic glycogen synthesis on glucose refeeding after starvation in the rat.

1. Intragastric administration of ethanol (75 mmol/kg body wt.) at 1 h before glucose refeeding of 24 h-starved rats inhibited hepatic glycogen deposition (by 69%) and synthesis (by approx. 70%), but was without significant effect on muscle glycogen deposition and synthesis. 2. Treatment of ethanol-administered rats with methylpyrazole (an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase) did not significantly diminish the inhibitory effect of ethanol on hepatic glycogen deposition after glucose refeeding, suggesting that the inhibition was not dependent on ethanol metabolism. 3. Ethanol delayed and diminished intestinal glucose absorption, at least in part by delaying gastric emptying. 4. At a lower dose (10 mmol/kg body wt.), ethanol inhibited hepatic glycogen repletion and synthesis without compromising intestinal glucose absorption. Ethanol inhibited glycogen deposition (by 40%) in hepatocytes from starved rats provided with glucose + lactate + pyruvate as substrates, consistent with it having a direct effect to diminish hepatic glycogen synthesis by inhibition of gluconeogenic flux at a site(s) between phosphoenolpyruvate and triose phosphate in the pathway. 5. It is concluded that ethanol acutely impairs hepatic glycogen repletion by inhibition at at least two distinct sites, namely (a) intestinal glucose absorption and (b) hepatic gluconeogenic flux.     

Polymyxin B inhibits contraction-stimulated glucose uptake in rat skeletal muscle

Glucose transport in muscle is activated by contractile activity, an effect that persists in the postexercise state. Polymyxin B, a cyclic decapeptide antibiotic, inhibits the stimulation of glucose uptake in isolated muscle by contractile activity but also decreases tension development in electrically stimulated muscle. The purpose of this study was to determine whether polymyxin B also inhibits contraction-stimulated glucose uptake after in vivo administration of the drug and to examine the relationship between the effects of polymyxin B on tension development and its effects on contraction-stimulated glucose uptake. When polymyxin B was administered to rats in vivo, glucose uptake in muscle after electrical stimulation was decreased, despite the same amount of tension developed as in control rats, indicating an effect of polymyxin B on glucose transport independent of tension development. Our results also indicate that the postexercise increase in glucose uptake is a function of the tension developed by prior contractions. When muscles were perfused with medium containing polymyxin B, this relationship was disrupted. These results provide evidence that polymyxin B causes a decrease in muscle glucose uptake independent of its effects on tension development. The extent to which its effects on glucose uptake are also the result of a diminution in contractile force is uncertain.     

Accelerated skeletal muscle recovery after in vivo polyphenol administration

Acute skeletal muscle damage results in fiber disruption, oxidative stress and inflammation. We investigated cell-specific contributions to the regeneration process after contusion-induced damage (rat gastrocnemius muscle) with or without chronic grape seed-derived proanthocyanidolic oligomer (PCO) administration. In this placebo-controlled study, male Wistar rats were subjected to PCO administration for 2 weeks, after which they were subjected to a standardised contusion injury. Supplementation was continued after injury. Immune and satellite cell responses were assessed, as well as oxygen radical absorption capacity and muscle regeneration. PCO administration resulted in a rapid satellite cell response with an earlier peak in activation (Pax7(+), CD56(+), at 4 h post-contusion) vs. placebo groups (PLA) (P<.001: CD56(+) on Day 5 and Pax7(+) on Day 7). Specific immune-cell responses in PLA followed expected time courses (neutrophil elevation on Day 1; sustained macrophage elevation from Days 3 to 5). PCO dramatically decreased neutrophil elevation to nonsignificant, while macrophage responses were normal in extent, but significantly earlier (peak between Days 1 and 3) and completely resolved by Day 5. Anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10, increased significantly only in PCO (Day 3). Muscle fiber regeneration (MHC(f) content and central nuclei) started earlier and was complete by Day 14 in PCO, but not in PLA. Thus, responses by three crucial cell types involved in muscle recovery were affected by in vivo administration of a specific purified polyphenol in magnitude (neutrophil), time course (macrophages), or time course and activation state (satellite cell), explaining faster effective regeneration in the presence of proanthocyanidolic oligomers.     

Acute administration of 3,5-diiodo-L-thyronine to hypothyroid rats affects bioenergetic parameters in rat skeletal muscle mitochondria

We investigated the mechanism by which 3,5-diiodo-l-thyronine (T2) affects skeletal muscle mitochondrial bioenergetic parameters following its acute administration to hypothyroid rats. One hour after injection, T2 increased both coupled and uncoupled respiration rates by +27% and +42%, respectively. Top-down elasticity analysis revealed that these effects were the result of increases in the substrate oxidation and mitochondrial uncoupling. Discriminating between proton-leak and redox-slip processes, we identified an increased mitochondrial proton conductance as the "pathway" underlying the effect of T2 on mitochondrial uncoupling. As a whole, these results may provide a mechanism by which T2 rapidly affects energy metabolism in hypothyroid rats.     

beta-Adrenoceptor signaling in regenerating skeletal muscle after beta-agonist administration

Stimulating the beta-adrenoceptor (beta-AR) signaling pathway can enhance the functional repair of skeletal muscle after injury, but long-term use of beta-AR agonists causes beta-AR downregulation, which may limit their therapeutic effectiveness. The aim was to examine beta-AR signaling during early regeneration in rat fast-twitch [extensor digitorum longus (EDL)] and slow-twitch (soleus) muscles after bupivacaine injury and test the hypothesis that, during regeneration, beta-agonist administration does not cause beta-AR desensitization. Rats received either the beta-AR agonist fenoterol (1.4 mgxkg(-1)xday(-1) ip) or saline for 7 days postinjury. Fenoterol reduced beta-AR density in regenerating soleus muscles by 42%. Regenerating EDL muscles showed a threefold increase in beta-AR density, and, again, these values were 43% lower with fenoterol treatment. An amplified adenylate cyclase (AC) response to isoproterenol was observed in cell membrane fragments from EDL and soleus muscles 7 days postinjury. Fenoterol attenuated this increase in regenerating EDL muscles but not soleus muscles. beta-AR signaling mechanisms were assessed using AC stimulants (NaF, forskolin, and Mn(2+)). Although beta-agonist treatment reduces beta-AR density in regenerating muscles, these muscles can produce large cAMP responses relative to healthy (uninjured) muscles. Desensitization of beta-AR signaling in regenerating muscles is prevented by altered rates of beta-AR synthesis and/or degradation, changes in G protein populations and coupling efficiency, and altered AC activity. These mechanisms have important therapeutic implications for modulating beta-AR signaling to enhance muscle repair after injury.     

Triacylglycerol metabolism in rat skeletal muscle after exercise

The temporal relationships between triacylglycerol (TG) content and TG lipase activity in slow-twitch (STR) and fast-twitch red (FTR) muscles were determined in rats during recovery from a 2-h swim. Immediately after the exercise, plasma free fatty acid (FFA) was elevated and glycogen concentrations were decreased. TG content was decreased 40% in STR muscle and reduced 45% in FTR muscle. The TG concentration of STR muscle increased in a linear fashion throughout recovery so that control levels were reached within the first 24 h after exercise. TG lipase activity of STR muscle was elevated 36% above control immediately after the swim and continued to increase to 84% above control 24 h after the work. In STR muscle there was a net synthesis of TG, while lipase activity was elevated above that measured in muscle of control rats. TG content of FTR muscle remained 45% below control throughout the first 24 h of recovery, and TG lipase activity increased from 26% (P greater than 0.05) greater than control immediately after exercise to threefold above control 24 h after work. All parameters returned to control levels by 48 h of recovery. These data indicated that a net TG synthesis occurs in STR muscle when lipolytic activity is elevated. In FTR muscle, however, a gradual increase in TG lipase activity that occurs during the first 24 h of recovery accompanies a TG concentration well below the control level throughout this same time frame.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Lysosomal enzyme activities in muscle following starvation and refeeding in the saithe Pollachius virens L

Saithe (Pollachius virens L.) were starved for 66 days at 10 degrees C and activities of aryl sulfatase, acid proteinase, beta-glucuronidase, RNAase and acid phosphatase measured in homogenates prepared from fast and slow myotomal muscles. In fed fish, hydrolase activities were generally higher in slow than fast muscles. With the exception of acid proteinase activity in slow muscle, the activities of all the lysosomal enzymes increased by 70 to 100% during starvation. In general, there was a proportionally larger increase in the hydrolase activities in fast than in slow muscle. In a second experiment, fish were starved for 74 days, and refed for up to 52 days. The increases in aryl sulfatase and acid proteinase activity produced in fast muscle with starvation were found to be rapidly reversed by refeeding. Lysosomal enzyme activities in fish sampled after 10 days refeeding were not significantly different from fed controls. Membrane fractions enriched in aryl sulfatase activity were prepared from the fast muscle of 66-day starved fish. These were capable of degrading both myosin heavy chains and actin to lower molecular weight peptides at acid (pH 5.0), but not at neutral pH. The results suggest a role for lysosomal enzymes in the breakdown of myofibrillar proteins during starvation.     

The response of skeletal muscle to alcohol abuse: Gender differences

A gender analysis has been carried out to analyze changes in intracellular signaling pathways that lead to the development of chronic alcoholic myopathy. It is known that acute or chronic alcohol intoxication can result in alcohol-induced lesions in skeletal muscles. Chronic alcoholic myopathy occurs much more frequently and can develop either independently or in combination with other forms of alcoholic disease (liver and heart lesions, malabsorption syndrome, or alcohol polyneuropathy). This disease is manifested by atrophy of skeletal muscles and a performance decrement. Most of the studies on the pathogenesis of chronic alcoholic myopathy have been carried out on male patients. Studies on alcoholic myopathy-induced muscle damage in females have not been previously reported.     

Effect of starvation and refeeding on autophagy and heterophagy in rat liver

Increase in the density of liver lysosomes after leupeptin administration was marked in starved rats but only slight in starved-refed rats. The levels of several intracellular enzymes in the liver lysosome fraction purified from leupeptin-treated rats were about 10 to 30 times more in starved rats than in refed rats. However, there was no difference between the intralysosomal levels of endocytosed FITC-labeled asialofetuin in starved and refed rats, indicating that refeeding after starvation markedly suppressed autophagy but not heterophagy in vivo. Immunohistochemical studies with cathepsin B and asialofetuin Fab'-peroxidase conjugates showed that refeeding after starvation markedly altered the cellular distribution of cathepsin B in the liver, resulting in a linear arrangement of the enzyme only on the periphery of hepatocytes. In contrast, endocytosed asialofetuin was found only in the periphery of hepatocytes of both starved and starved-refed rats. These results indicate that autophagy and heterophagy are regulated by different mechanisms in vivo.     

Response of heterogenous rat liver lysosome populations to starvation and refeeding

Starvation-induced alterations in liver lysosomes and their recovery pattern following refeeding were investigated. Fasting of adult rats for five days caused an increase in ‘free’ activities of acid hydrolyses in liver homogenates and loss in sedimentation of one of the heterogenous populations of lysosomes that could be isolated by differential centrifugation. Isopycnic sucrose gradient centrifugation revealed a decrease in the median and modal equilibration densities of all the forms of lysosomes in response to the dietary deprivation. Further, starvation also evoked a distinct bimodal distribution in a population that was rich in acid phosphatases, β-galactosidase and N-acetyl-βglucosaminidase. Realimentation of starved animals for 10 days was found to restore the enzyme levels and the sedimentation characteristics to normal profiles.     

Effect of starvation on branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase activity in rat heart and skeletal muscle

The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in the activity of branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase (BCKAD) in skeletal muscle and the heart during brief and prolonged starvation. Fed control rats and rats starved for 2, 4 and 6 days were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium before heart and hindlimb muscles were frozen in situ by liquid nitrogen. Basal (an estimate of in vivo activity) and total (an estimate of enzyme amount) BCKAD activities were determined by measuring the release of 14CO2 from alpha-keto[1-(14)C]isocaproate. The activity state of BCKAD complex was calculated as basal activity in percentages of total activity. Both basal and total activities and the activity state of the BCKAD were lower in skeletal muscles than in the heart. In both tissues, starvation for 2 or 4 days caused a decrease in the basal activity and activity state of BCKAD. On the contrary, in the heart and muscles of animals starved for 6 days a marked increase in basal activity and activity state of BCKAD was observed. The total BCKAD activity was increasing gradually during starvation both in muscles and the heart. The increase was significant in muscles on the 4th and 6th day of starvation. The demonstrated changes in BCKAD activity indicate significant alterations in branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) and protein metabolism during starvation. The decreased BCKAD activity in skeletal muscle and heart observed on the 2nd and 4th day of starvation prevents the loss of essential BCAA and is an important factor involved in protein sparing. The increased activity of BCKAD on the 6th day of starvation indicates activated oxidation of BCAA and accelerated protein breakdown.     

Response of heterogenous rat liver lysosome populations to starvation and refeeding.

Starvation-induced alterations in liver lysosomes and their recovery pattern following refeeding were investigated. Fasting of adult rats for five days caused an increase in 'free' activities of acid hydrolyses in liver homogenates and loss in sedimentation of one of the heterogenous populations of lysosomes that could be isolated by differential centrifugation. Isopycnic sucrose gradient centrifugation revealed a decrease in the median and modal equilibration densities of all the forms of lysosomes in response to the dietary deprivation. Further, starvation also evoked a distinct bimodal distribution in a population that was rich in acid phosphatases, beta-galactosidase and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase. Realimentation of starved animals for 10 days was found to restore the enzyme levels and the sedimentation characteristics to normal profiles.     

Heparin inhibits skeletal muscle growth in vitro

Heparin or heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HeSPG), but not chondroitin sulfate or hyaluronic acid, exerts a pronounced inhibitory effect on muscle growth in vitro, as determined by total protein, myosin accumulation or synthesis, and [3H]thymidine incorporation studies. Primary muscle fibroblast culture growth is also inhibited by heparin but to a substantially lesser degree compared to muscle (30% and over 90% inhibition of growth, respectively). Heparin-induced inhibition of skeletal muscle growth is a consequence of its interaction with a growth factor(s) present in the media used to support myogenesis; heparin-Sepharose column absorbed horse serum can support muscle growth only in the presence of added heparin-binding growth factors like fibroblast growth factor (FGF) or chicken muscle growth factor (CMGF). Furthermore, heparin prevents the binding of iodinated FGF to the myoblast surface. We also show that the extent of muscle growth is a function of the relative amounts of heparin and FGF in culture. Finally, we provide evidence indicating that FGF can combine with endogenously occurring heparin-like components: immobilized FGF binds sodium-[35S]sulfate labeled components secreted in muscle culture conditioned medium, an interaction inhibited by anti-HeSPG antibodies or heparin, but not by other sulfated glycosaminoglycans. Since heparin binding growth factors not only stimulate myoblast proliferation but also actively inhibit the onset of muscle differentiation (G. Spitzz, D. Roman, and A. Strauss (1986). J. Biol. Chem. 261, 9483-9488), their interaction with naturally occurring heparin-like components may be an important physiological mechanism for modulating muscle growth and differentiation in development and regeneration.     

Acute starvation affects rat adrenal steroidogenesis

To determine how starvation affects adrenal steroidogenesis we measured the activities of 3 adrenal enzymes involved in corticosterone biosynthesis in a group of adult female rats. The animals were either starved for 7 days or fed ad libitum for the same period. Relative adrenal weight and plasma corticosterone levels were increased in the experimental group of animals compared to the control group (40 +/- 2 vs 27 +/- 1 mg/100 g body weight, P less than 0.001, and 45 +/- 4 vs 30 +/- 5 ng/dl, P less than 0.05 respectively). There were no differences in plasma ACTH levels between the groups (34 +/- 5 vs 26 +/- 4 pg/ml). 11-Hydroxylase activity was increased in the starved group of animals (18 +/- 3 vs 8 +/- 2 nmol/mg protein/min, P less than 0.01). 3 beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 21-hydroxylase activities were not different between the groups (19 +/- 2 vs 16 +/- 1 nmol/mg protein/min, and 100 +/- 10 vs 110 +/- 10 pmol/mg protein/min respectively). These results suggest that acute starvation in rats produces an increase in adrenal 11-hydroxylase activity.