Low-Intensity Exercise Affects Cardiac Fatty Acid Oxidation by Increasing the Nuclear Content of PPARα, FOXO1, and Lipin1 in Fructose-Fed Rats.

Background and Aim: Excessive fructose consumption along with a sedentary lifestyle provokes metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Fructose overload causes cardiac insulin resistance and increases reliance on fatty acid (FA) uptake and catabolism. The cardiometabolic benefits of exercise training have long been appreciated. The goal of the presented study is to shed a new light to the preventive role of exercise training on cardiac lipid metabolism in fructose-fed rats. Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into control (C), sedentary fructose (F), and exercised fructose (EF) groups. Fructose was given as a 10% fructose solution in drinking water for 9 weeks. Low-intensity exercise training was applied for 9 weeks. The protein expression and subcellular localization of Lipin1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1 α (PGC1) were analyzed in the heart using Western blot. Cardiac forkhead box transcription factor 1 (FOXO1) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) protein levels were also evaluated. Gene expression of long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Exercise training has augmented the expression of main regulators of FA oxidation in the heart and achieves its effect by increasing the nuclear content of PPARα, Lipin1, and FOXO1 compared with the fructose group ( P  = 0.0422, P  = 0.000045, P  = 0.00958, respectively). In addition, Lipin1, FOXO1, and SIRT1 were increased in nuclear extract after exercise compared with the control group ( P  = 0.000043, P  = 0.0417, P  = 0.0329, respectively). In cardiac lysate, low-intensity exercise caused significantly increased protein level of PPARα, PGC1, FOXO1, and SIRT1 compared with control ( P  = 0.0377, P  = 0.0275, P  = 0.0096, P  = 0.0282, respectively) and PGC1 level compared with the fructose group ( P  = 0.0417). Conclusion: The obtained results imply that the heart with a metabolic burden additionally relies on FA as an energy substrate after low-intensity running.