Increase of adiponectin receptor gene expression by physical exercise in soleus muscle of obese Zucker rats

Aerobic exercise, including treadmill running has been widely used to treat insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. We studied the effects of endurance training on gene expression of adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) in skeletal muscle of obese Zucker rats: the 8-week moderate exercise program consisted of treadmill running at 20 m/min and 0° gradient for 1 h/day, 7 days/week. After 8 weeks, insulin action on glucose disposal rate was measured by glucose–insulin index, the product of the areas under the curve of glucose and insulin during intraperitoneal glucose tolerance testing. In contrast to results for sedentary obese rats, exercise training decreased plasma levels of insulin and glucose as well as the glucose–insulin index in obese rats, indicating the merit of regular moderate exercise for improvement of insulin sensitivity in this insulin-resistant animal model. Also, diabetes-related reductions in mRNA and protein content of AdipoR1 in soleus muscle were observed in obese rats at baseline; they were markedly reversed after the 8-week exercise program. However, such exercise training did not alter plasma levels of insulin and glucose in lean Zucker rats. Also, AdipoR1 gene expression in soleus muscle was not changed by exercise in lean Zucker rats compared with the sedentary, lean littermates. These results suggest that long-term exercise training may reverse reduced AdipoR1 gene expression in soleus muscle and improve insulin sensitivity in the obese Zucker rats. Thus, an endurance exercise training is probably helpful clinically for obese individuals with insulin resistance.