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07:57
Assessing Whole-Body Lipid-Handling Capacity in Mice
Published on: November 24, 2020
Exercise enhances whole-body cholesterol turnover in mice
Maxi Meissner1, Rick Havinga, Renze Boverhof
1Department of Pediatrics, Center for Liver, Digestive, and Metabolic Diseases, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. m.meissner@med.umcg.nl
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|February 9, 2010
Summary
Regular exercise in mice significantly boosts cholesterol turnover by increasing bile acid excretion and reducing intestinal cholesterol absorption. This enhanced cholesterol metabolism may explain exercise
Area of Science:
- Metabolic research
- Cardiovascular health
- Exercise physiology
Background:
- Regular exercise is known to reduce cardiovascular risk in humans, partly by lowering cholesterol levels.
- The precise mechanisms by which exercise influences cholesterol and bile acid metabolism require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how voluntary wheel running affects cholesterol and bile acid metabolism in mice.
- To elucidate the molecular pathways involved in exercise-induced changes in lipid metabolism.
Main Methods:
- Male mice were divided into sedentary (SED) and voluntary running wheel (RUN) groups for two weeks.
- Measurements included fecal sterol and bile acid output, plasma lipid profiles, and gene expression related to cholesterol and bile acid metabolism.
- Bile flow and biliary secretion rates of cholesterol and bile acids were also assessed.
Main Results:
- Mice in the RUN group exhibited significantly lower plasma cholesterol levels compared to the SED group.
- Running increased fecal bile acid and cholesterol excretion by approximately 30% in the RUN group.
- Reduced expression of jejunal Npc1l1 and lower plasma plant sterol-cholesterol ratio indicated decreased intestinal cholesterol absorption.
Conclusions:
- Voluntary wheel running enhances cholesterol turnover in mice through increased fecal bile acid excretion and reduced intestinal absorption.
- These metabolic alterations induced by exercise may contribute to the observed reduction in cardiovascular risk.
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