Exercise-Induced Changes in Enterohepatic Communication Are Linked to Liver Steatosis Resolution.

Area of Science:

• Metabolic Syndrome
• Gut Microbiome Research
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• High-fat diets (HFD) induce hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease) and disrupt enterohepatic communication.
• Understanding the mechanisms linking diet, exercise, and liver health is crucial for metabolic disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of long-term aerobic exercise on HFD-induced hepatic steatosis.
• To elucidate the underlying enterohepatic communication pathways modulated by exercise.

Main Methods:

• C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal or HFD for 16 weeks, with or without 8 weeks of aerobic exercise.
• Assessed hepatic lipid accumulation, liver function, glucose tolerance, gut microbiota composition (16S rRNA), hepatic bile acid profiles (LC-MS), and gene expression.

Main Results:

• Exercise ameliorated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, glucose intolerance, and liver injury.
• Exercise restored gut microbiota diversity and modulated lipid metabolism and bile acid biosynthesis pathways.
• Exercise altered hepatic bile acid profiles, increasing tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) and decreasing taurohyodeoxycholic acid (THDCA), correlating with specific bacterial genera.

Conclusions:

• Aerobic exercise offers a potential therapeutic strategy for managing HFD-induced hepatic steatosis.
• Exercise-induced gut microbiota shifts influence hepatic secondary bile acid abundance, impacting lipid metabolism gene expression.
• The findings highlight the role of the gut-liver axis in exercise's beneficial effects on metabolic health.