AMP-activated protein kinase activation in skeletal muscle modulates exercise-induced uncoupled protein 1 expression in brown adipocyte in mouse model

Aerobic exercise is an effective intervention in preventing obesity and is also an important factor associated with thermogenesis. There is an increasing interest in the factors and mechanisms induced by aerobic exercise that can influence the metabolism and thermogenic activity in an individual. Recent studies suggest that exercise induced circulating factors (known as ‘exerkines’), which are able to modulate activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and browning of white adipose tissue. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with the effect of exercise-induced peripheral factors on BAT activation remain poorly understood. Furthermore, the role of exercise training in BAT activation is still debatable. Hence, the purpose of our study is to assess whether exercise training affects the expression of uncoupled protein 1 (UCP1) in brown adipocytes via release of different blood factors. Four weeks of exercise training significantly decreased the body weight gain and fat mass gain. Furthermore, trained mice exhibit higher levels of energy expenditure and UCP1 expression than untrained mice. Surprisingly, treatment with serum from exercise-trained mice increased the expression of UCP1 in differentiated brown adipocytes. To gain a better understanding of these mechanisms, we analysed the conditioned media obtained after treating the C2C12 myotubes with an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator (AICAR; 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide), which leads to an increased expression of UCP1 when added to brown adipocytes. Our observations suggest the possibility of aerobic exercise-induced BAT activation via activation of AMPK in skeletal muscles.

https://doi.org/10.1113/JP282999