Acute glucocorticoid effects on glycogen utilization, O2 uptake, and endurance

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of increased substrate availability (glycogen + plasma fatty acids) by glucocorticoids on energy metabolism during exercise to exhaustion. Female rats received a single subcutaneous injection of cortisol acetate (CA) (100 mg.kg body wt-1) 21 h before treadmill running (30.8 m/min). At the start of exercise in the CA-treated rats, plasma fatty acids and liver glycogen were increased by 40%. Glycogen levels were also increased by CA treatment in slow-twitch soleus (61%), fast-twitch white vastus (38%), and fast-twitch red vastus lateralis (85%) muscles. Exercise time to exhaustion was increased by CA treatment (114 +/- 5 vs. 95 +/- 6 min, P less than 0.05). During the exercise, total glycogen depletion was greater in the CA-treated than in the control animals, whereas estimated relative rates of carbohydrate utilization (R = 0.90) were similar. However, while running the CA-treated group consumed 11% more O2 than the controls (P less than 0.05). These results show that a single injection of glucocorticoids is capable of improving endurance. Yet the increased O2 uptake during exercise may have minimized the impact of the initial increased availability of carbohydrates and fatty acids in prolonging exercise capacity. This decreased running economy by the CA-treated runners may be secondary to alterations in energy production or utilization.     

Substrate utilization during endurance exercise in men and women after endurance training

We investigated the effect of endurance training on whole body substrate, glucose, and glycerol utilization during 90 min of exercise at 60% peak O2 consumption (VO2(peak)) in males and females. Substrate oxidation was determined before and after 7 wk of endurance training on a cycle ergometer, with posttesting performed at the same absolute (ABS, W) and relative (REL, VO2(peak)) intensities. [6,6-2H]glucose and [1,1,2,3,3-2H]glycerol tracers were used to calculate the respective substrate tracee flux. Endurance training resulted in an increase in VO2(peak) for both males and females of 17 and 22%, respectively (P < 0.001). Females demonstrated a lower respiratory exchange ratio (RER) both pretraining and posttraining compared with males during exercise (P < 0.001). Glucose rate of appearance (R(a)) and rate of disappearance (R(d)) were not different between males and females. Glucose metabolic clearance rate (MCR) was lower at 75 and 90 min of exercise for females compared with males (P < 0.05). Glucose R(a) and R(d) were lower during exercise at both ABS and REL posttraining exercise intensities compared with pretraining (P < 0.001). Females had a higher exercise glycerol R(a) and R(d) compared with males both pre- and posttraining (P < 0.001). Glycerol R(a) was not different at either the ABS or REL posttraining exercise intensities compared with pretraining. We concluded that females oxidize proportionately more lipid and less carbohydrate during exercise compared with males both pre- and posttraining, which was cotemporal with a higher glycerol R(a) in females. Furthermore, endurance training resulted in a decrease in glucose flux at both ABS and REL exercise intensities after endurance exercise training.     

Effects of a 36-hour fast on human endurance and substrate utilization

To determine if prolonged fasting affects substrate utilization and endurance time, seven trained men exercised to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer at 50% maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) in an overnight-fasted [postabsorptive (PA)] state and after a 36-h fast (F). Fasting produced significant elevations in the resting concentrations of blood free fatty acids (FFA; 1.16 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.56 +/- 0.06 mM, F vs. PA, respectively, a 107% increase), beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-OH, 2.06 +/- 0.66 vs. 0.15 +/- 0.06 mM, a 1,270% increase), and glycerol (0.12 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.04 +/- 0.01 mM, a 200% increase), with a significant decline in glucose (79.79 +/- 2.12 vs. 98.88 +/- 3.11 mg/dl, a 19% decrease). Exercise in the F trial increased FFA, decreased glucose, and significantly elevated beta-OH and glycerol over the PA trial. There was no difference in blood glucose concentration between trials at exhaustion. However, F produced a significant decrement in exercise endurance time compared with the PA trial (88.9 +/- 18.3 vs. 144.4 +/- 22.6 min, F vs. PA, a 38% decrease). Based on the respiratory exchange ratio, fasting led to a greater utilization of lipids during rest and exercise. It was concluded that 1) a 36-h fast significantly altered substrate utilization at rest and throughout exercise to exhaustion, 2) glucose levels do not appear to be the single determinant of time to exhaustion in submaximal exercise, and 3) despite the apparent sparing of carbohydrate utilization with the 36-h fast, endurance performance was significantly decreased.     

Comparison of the effects of pre-exercise feeding of glucose, glycerol and placebo on endurance and fuel homeostasis in man

Six men were studied during exercise to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer at 73% of VO2max following ingestion of glycerol, glucose or placebo. Five of the subjects exercised for longer on the glucose trial compared to the placebo trial (p less than 0.1; 108.8 vs 95.9 min). Exercise time to exhaustion on the glucose trial was longer (p less than 0.01) than on the glycerol trial (86.0 min). No difference in performance was found between the glycerol and placebo trials. The ingestion of glucose (lg X kg-1 body weight) 45 min before exercise produced a 50% rise in blood glucose and a 3-fold rise in plasma insulin at zero min of exercise. Total carbohydrate oxidation was increased by 26% compared to placebo and none of the subjects exhibited a fall in blood glucose below 4 mmol X 1-1 during the exercise. The ingestion of glycerol (lg X kg-1 body weight) 45 min before exercise produced a 340-fold increase in blood glycerol concentration at zero min of exercise, but did not affect resting blood glucose or plasma insulin levels; blood glucose levels were up to 14% higher (p less than 0.05) in the later stages of exercise and at exhaustion compared to the placebo or glucose trials. Both glycerol and glucose feedings lowered the magnitude of the rise in plasma FFA during exercise compared to placebo. Levels of blood lactate and alanine during exercise were not different on the 3 dietary treatments.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Metabolic and hormonal response to short term fasting after endurance training in the rat

The metabolic and hormonal response to short term fasting was studied after endurance exercise training. Rats were kept running on a motor driven rodent treadmill 5 days/wk for periods up to 1 h/day for 6 wk. Trained and untrained rats were then fasted for 24 h and 48 h. Liver and muscle glycogen, blood glucose, lactate, beta OH butyrate, glycerol, plasma insulin, testosterone and corticosterone were measured in fed and fasted trained and untrained rats. 48 h fasted trained rats show a lower level of blood lactate (1.08 +/- 0.05 vs 1.33 +/- 0.08 mmol/l-1 of blood glycerol (1 +/- 0.11 vs 0.84 +/- 0.08 mmol/l-1), and of muscle glycogen. There is a significant increase in plasma corticosterone in 48 h fasted trained rats from fed values. Plasma testosterone decreases during fasting, the values are higher in trained rats. Plasma insulin decreases during fasting without any difference between the two groups. These results show higher lipolysis, and decreased glycogenolysis in trained animals during 48 h fasting. The difference between the groups in steroid hormone response could reduce neoglucogenesis and muscle proteolysis in trained animals.     

Hydration force and bilayer deformation: a reevaluation

The hydration repulsive force between lipid bilayers and the deformability of both gel and liquid-crystalline bilayers have been quantitated by an X-ray diffraction analysis of osmotically stressed liposomes. Both sampling theorem reconstructions and electron density distributions were calculated from diffraction data obtained from multilayers with applied osmotic pressures of 0-50 atm. The bilayer thickness and area per lipid molecule remain nearly constant (to within about 4%) in this pressure range, as adjacent bilayers move from their equilibrium separation in excess water to within 2-4 A of each other. This analysis indicates that the bilayers are relatively incompressible. This results differs from previously published X-ray diffraction studies of bilayer compressibility but agrees with direct mechanical measurements of the bilayer compressibility modulus. It is also found that the hydration repulsive force decays exponentially with separation between bilayers with a decay constant of 1.4 A for gel-state dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and 1.7 A for liquid-crystalline egg phosphatidylcholine bilayers. This implies that the exponential decay constant is not necessarily equal to the diameter of a water molecule, as has been previously suggested on experimental and theoretical grounds.     

beta2-Microglobulin: a reevaluation.

Rabbit antiserum to human beta2-microglobulin was used to inhibit the proliferative response of lymphocytes in a variety of in vitro assays and to block the effector phase of the cell mediated lympholysis reaction. The antiserum was able to inhibit both of these reactions; it is not clear whether the cytotoxic reaction that we are studying in a xenogeneic human-rabbit system is based on phytohemagglutinin dependent cytotoxicity or on specific recognition of target cells by receptors on the effector cells, or most likely on a combination of both cytotoxic mechanisms. Whereas the possibility that beta2-microglobulin may be associated with receptors on the thymus-derived lymphocyte surface is considered, it is also pointed out that the effect of the antiserum may be based on other mechanisms of perturbing the membrane so as to inhibit these responses.     

Exercise endurance and arterial desaturation in normobaric hypoxia with increased chemosensitivity

We studied whether exercise endurance under normobaric hypoxia can be enhanced by increasing hypoxic ventilatory sensitivity with almitrine bismesylate (ALM). On both ALM and placebo (PL) days, resting subjects breathed a hypoxic gas mixture (an inspired O2 fraction of 10.4-13.2%), which lowered resting arterial O2 saturation (SaO2) to 80%. After 15 min of rest there was a 3-min warm-up period of exercise at 50 W (light) on a cycle ergometer, followed by a step increase in load to 60% of the previously determined maximum power output with room-air breathing (moderate), which was maintained until exhaustion. With PL, SaO2 decreased rapidly with the onset of exercise and continued to fall slowly during moderate exercise, averaging 71.0 +/- 1.8% (SE) at exhaustion. With ALM, saturation did not differ from PL during air breathing but significantly exceeded SaO2 with PL, by 3.4% during resting hypoxia, by 4.0% at the start of exercise, and by 5.9% at exhaustion. Ventilation was not affected by ALM during air breathing and was slightly, although not significantly, increased during hypoxic rest and exercise. ALM was associated with an increased heart rate during room air breathing but not during hypoxia. Endurance time was 20.6 +/- 1.6 min with ALM and 21.3 +/- 0.9 min with PL. During hypoxic exercise, the potential benefit of greater saturation with ALM is apparently offset by other unidentified factors.     

Relationships between lipid availability and protein utilization during prolonged fasting

Summary Mammals and birds adapt to prolonged fasting by mobilizing fat stores and minimizing protein loss. This strategy ends with an increase in protein utilization associated with behavioural changes promoting food foraging. Using the Zucker rat as a model, we have investigated the effect of severe obesity on this pattern of protein loss during long-term fasting. Two interactions between the initial adiposity and protein utilization were found. First, protein conservation was more effective in obese than in lean rats: fatty rats had a three times lower daily nitrogen excretion and proportion of energy expenditure deriving from proteins, and a lower daily protein loss in various muscles. This phase of protein sparing is moreover nine times longer in the fatty rats. Second, obese animals did not show the late increase in nitrogen excretion that occurred in their lean littermates. Total body protein loss during starvation was larger in fatty rats (57% versus 29%) and, accordingly, total protein loss was greater in their muscles. At the end of the experiment, lean and obese rats had lost 98% and 82%, respectively, of their initial lipid reserves, and fatty rats still had an obese body composition. These results support the hypothesis that in severely obese humans and animals a lethal cumulative protein loss is reached long before the exhaustion of fat stores, while the phase of protein conservation is still continuing. In contrast, in lean rats, survival of fasting seems to depend on the availability of lipid fuels. The data also suggest that accumulation of too much fat in wild animals is detrimental for survival, because it eliminates the late phase of increase in nitrogen excretion that is linked to a food foraging behaviour anticipating a lethal depletion of body reserves.Abbreviations dm/dt daily loss in body mass - EDL extensor digitorum longus muscle - FFA free fatty acids - -OHB -hydroxybutyrate     

微生物燃料电池生物质能利用现状与展望

作为一种新概念的废物处理与能源化技术,微生物燃料电池研究在过去10年里取得了长足的进步和技术突破。本文在简要介绍微生物燃料电池研究现状基础上,系统综述了该技术及与其他技术耦合在生物质能利用方面的最新研究进展,重点分析了其中存在的问题,并展望了该技术在生物质能转化和利用方面的研究前景。     

Alligator tears: a reevaluation of the lacrimal apparatus of the crocodilians

The Harderian gland is a poorly understood anterior ocular gland that occurs in most terrestrial vertebrates. Numerous extraorbital functions have been ascribed to the Harderian gland, principally based on its association with the nasolacrimal duct. Few studies have centered on archosaurs and the majority of those available focused solely on the Harderian gland of birds. Little is known about the lacrimal apparatus of the crocodilians. We examined the lacrimal apparatus of several specimens of Alligator mississippiensis anatomically, histologically, and histochemically and studied the embryogenesis of this system. The nasolacrimal duct possesses a distal secretory area, which is more convoluted than that of typical mammals or lepidosaurs. The alligator Harderian gland possesses a unique combination of characteristics found in lepidosaurs, birds, and mammals. Like that of both mammals and lepidosaurs, it is a large, tuboloacinar gland that appears to secrete both mucoprotein and lipids. However, the presence of blood vessels and immune cells is reminiscent of that of the avian Harderian gland. The immunogenesis of the alligator Harderian gland appears to be tied to the development of the vascular system. The presence of a distinct palpebral gland in the anterior aspect of the ventral eyelid is a feature unique to alligators. Based on position, this gland does not appear to be homologous to the anterior lacrimal gland of lepidosaurs. Lymphatic aggregations were also found in the palpebral gland. The presence of interstitial immune cells in the orbital glands of alligators suggests that the alligator lacrimal apparatus, like that of birds, may play a role in the head-associated lymphatic tissue system.