Abstract
Leucine supplementation and resistance training positively influence the protein translation process and the cell signaling mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway that regulates muscle protein balance and muscle remodeling, and thus may be therapeutic to diabetic myopathy. However, the effect of a combined intervention has not been well studied. Forty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups, control (C), diabetic control (D), diabetic + trained (DT), diabetic + L‐leucine (DL), diabetic + L‐leucine + trained (DLT). The supplementation of 5% leucine in chow, and resistance training were conducted for 8 weeks postweaning of rats. The extensor digitorum longus was used to assess signaling proteins involved in muscle protein synthesis, and the gastrocnemius and soleus were used for determination of muscle weight. Blood samples were collected for biochemical assays. Strength and ambulation tests were employed to evaluate motor performance. Results showed that both leucine supplementation and resistance training elevated the activity of mTOR‐p70S6K in diabetic rats (P < 0.05). Moreover, though leucine supplementation in combination with resistance training demonstrated synergistic effects on p70S6K (P < 0.05), both treatments were capable of recovering motor performance (P < 0.05). In conclusion, 5% leucine supplementation combined with resistance training has the potential to attenuate muscle loss and motor performance decrements in diabetic rats, at least in part through increased protein synthesis.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects nearly every biological process including an altered protein metabolism, decreased muscle mass, and in some cases, impaired ability to carry out daily activities, decreased productivity and diminished quality of life (Workeneh and Bajaj 2013)
In nontreated diabetic rats (D group) food intake was significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced as compared with control rats (C group). Both groups (DT, diabetic + L-leucine (DL) and diabetic + L-leucine + trained (DLT)) had lower food intake when compared to diabetic rats (D group)
Our results showed that resistance training alone or combined with leucine minimized the deleterious effects of diabetes mellitus on skeletal muscle as determined by an enhanced physical functional capacity muscle as well as improvements in certain metabolic parameters such as fasting glucose and insulin
Summary
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects nearly every biological process including an altered protein metabolism, decreased muscle mass, and in some cases, impaired ability to carry out daily activities, decreased productivity and diminished quality of life (Workeneh and Bajaj 2013). Attenuating the effects of diabetes can be challenging, but recent studies provide important insights into the cellular and molecular etiology of diabetes-associated decreases in muscle mass, and these findings may be useful in the development of new therapies for the disease (Gumucio and Mendias 2013). Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.
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