Exercise-induced changes on exerkines that might influence brown adipose tissue metabolism in young sedentary adults

ABSTRACT

In rodents, exercise alters the plasma concentration of exerkines that regulate white adipose tissue (WAT) browning or brown adipose tissue (BAT) metabolism. This study aims to analyse the acute and chronic effect of exercise on the circulating concentrations of 16 of these exerkines in humans. Ten young sedentary adults (6 female) performed a maximum walking effort test and a resistance exercise session. The plasma concentration of 16 exerkines was assessed before, and 3, 30, 60, and 120 min after exercise. Those exerkines modified by exercise were additionally measured in another 28 subjects (22 women). We also measured the plasma concentrations of the exerkines before and after a 24-week exercise programme (endurance + resistance; 3-groups: control, moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity) in 110 subjects (75 women). Endurance exercise acutely increased the plasma concentration of lactate, norepinephrine, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, interleukin 6, and follistatin-like protein 1 (3 min after exercise), and musclin and fibroblast growth factor 21 (30 and 60 min after exercise), decreasing the plasma concentration of leptin (30 min after exercise). Adiponectin, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), β-aminoisobutyric acid, meteorin-like, follistatin, pro-ANP, irisin and myostatin were not modified or not detectable. The resistance exercise session increased the plasma concentration of lactate 3 min after exercise. Chronic exercise did not alter the plasma concentration of these exerkines. In sedentary young adults, acute endurance exercise releases to the bloodstream exerkines that regulate BAT metabolism and WAT browning. In contrast, neither a low-volume resistance exercise session nor a 24-week training programme modified plasma levels of these molecules.

Highlights

• Acute endurance exercise increases the plasma concentration of lactate, norepinephrine, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, interleukin 6, follistatin-like protein 1, musclin, and fibroblast growth factor 21, and decrease the plasma concentration of leptin.

• The exercise-induced change in lactate plasma concentration is positively associated with brown adipose tissue volume, glucose uptake and radiodensity.

• Neither acute resistance exercise nor chronic exercise significantly alter the plasma concentration of these exerkines.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02365129.

KEYWORDS:

• Beige fat
• brown fat
• exerkines
• thermogenesis

Acknowledgments

This study was performed as part of a PhD thesis conducted within the Official Doctoral Programme in Biomedicine of the University of Granada, Spain.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness via Retos de la Sociedad (DEP2016- 79512-R) and European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU13/04365, FPU16/02828 FPU16/03653), the Health Institute Carlos III (Red SAMID RD16/0022/0003), the University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigación 2016–Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), the University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigación 2018 (Programa Contratos Puente and Perfeccionamiento de Doctores), the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades (ERDF; ref. SOMM17/ 6107/UGR), and the Fundación Alfonso Martín Escudero.