Acute exercise alters homocysteine plasma concentration in an intensity-dependent manner due increased methyl flux in liver of rats

The effect of high-intensity interval training on type 2 diabetic muscle: A metabolomics-based study

Background

This study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on muscle metabolism in rats with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using metabolomics approaches.

Methods

20 male Wistar rats at the age of 8 weeks-were assigned to four groups of five, each in the group randomly: control (CTL), type 2 diabetes (DB), HIIT (EX), and type 2 diabetes + HIIT (DBX). T2D was induced by two months of a high-fat diet plus a single dose of streptozotocin (35 mg/kg). Rats in the EX and DBX groups performed eight weeks of HIIT (running at 80-100 % of Vmax, 4-10 intervals). NMR spectroscopy was used to determine the changes in the muscle metabolome profile after training.

Results

Changes in metabolite abundance following exercise revealed distinct clustering in multivariate analysis. The essential metabolite changes between the DB and CTL groups were arginine metabolism, purine metabolism, phosphate pathway, amino sugar metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis. However, Arginine biosynthesis, pyrimidine metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism were altered between the DBX and DB groups.

Conclusion

These results suggest that eight weeks of HIIT could reverse metabolic changes induced by T2D in rat muscles, contributing to reduced FBG and HOMA-IR levels.

Unlocking the Role of Exercise on CD4+ T Cell Plasticity

A hallmark of T cell ageing is a loss of effector plasticity. Exercise delays T cell ageing, yet the mechanisms driving the effects of exercise on T cell biology are not well elucidated. T cell plasticity is closely linked with metabolism, and consequently sensitive to metabolic changes induced by exercise. Mitochondrial function is essential for providing the intermediate metabolites necessary to generate and modify epigenetic marks in the nucleus, thus metabolic activity and epigenetic mechanisms are intertwined. In this perspective we propose a role for exercise in CD4+ T cell plasticity, exploring links between exercise, metabolism and epigenetic reprogramming.

Physical Activity Level Influences MTHFR Gene Methylation Profile in Diabetic Patients

Introduction

MTHFR methylation status is associated with microvascular complications in diabetes, but the factors influencing this profile remain unknown.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of physical activity level and nutritional status on the methylation profile of the MTHFR gene in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

A total of 111 patients, 43 men and 68 women diagnosed with DM (7.0 ± 2.3 years), answered the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and underwent blood collection for biochemical analysis, DNA extraction, and MTHFR gene methylation profile determination.

Result

The comparison of the methylation pattern showed that the partially methylated profile predominates in the insufficiently active group (85%), which does not occur in the sufficiently active group (54%) (p = 0.012). No differences were found in the nutritional status comparison. Logistic regression including overweight, waist circumference, gender, age, time of DM, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, alcoholism, and family DM revealed that the association of the level of physical activity with methylation profile proved to be independent of these confounding variables. Considering the partially methylated profile as a result, being physically inactive favors the partially methylated MTHFR pattern in patients with DM.

Conclusion

We concluded that insufficient physical activity is associated with partially methylated pattern of MTHFR promoter.

Exhaustive Exercise and Post-exercise Protein Plus Carbohydrate Supplementation Affect Plasma and Urine Concentrations of Sulfur Amino Acids, the Ratio of Methionine to Homocysteine and Glutathione in Elite Male Cyclists

Plasma and tissue sulfur amino acid (SAA) availability are crucial for intracellular methylation reactions and cellular antioxidant defense, which are important processes during exercise and in recovery. In this randomized, controlled crossover trial among eight elite male cyclists, we explored the effect of exhaustive exercise and post-exercise supplementation with carbohydrates and protein (CHO+PROT) vs. carbohydrates (CHO) on plasma and urine SAAs, a potential new marker of methylation capacity (methionine/total homocysteine ratio [Met/tHcy]) and related metabolites. The purpose of the study was to further explore the role of SAAs in exercise and recovery. Athletes cycled to exhaustion and consumed supplements immediately after and in 30 min intervals for 120 min post-exercise. After ~18 h recovery, performance was tested in a time trial in which the CHO+PROT group cycled 8.5% faster compared to the CHO group (41:53 ± 1:51 vs. 45:26 ± 1:32 min, p < 0.05). Plasma methionine decreased by ~23% during exhaustive exercise. Two h post-exercise, further decline in methionine had occured by ~55% in the CHO group vs. ~33% in the CHO+PROT group (p_group × _time < 0.001). The Met/tHcy ratio decreased by ~33% during exhaustive exercise, and by ~54% in the CHO group vs. ~27% in the CHO+PROT group (p_group × _time < 0.001) post-exercise. Plasma cystathionine increased by ~72% in the CHO group and ~282% in the CHO+PROT group post-exercise (p_group × _time < 0.001). Plasma total cysteine, taurine and total glutathione increased by 12% (p = 0.03), 85% (p < 0.001) and 17% (p = 0.02), respectively during exhaustive exercise. Using publicly available transcriptomic data, we report upregulated transcript levels of skeletal muscle SLC7A5 (log₂ fold-change: 0.45, FDR:1.8^e−07) and MAT2A (log₂ fold-change: 0.38, FDR: 3.4^e−0.7) after acute exercise. Our results show that exercise acutely lowers plasma methionine and the Met/tHcy ratio. This response was attenuated in the CHO+PROT compared to the CHO group in the early recovery phase potentially affecting methylation capacity and contributing to improved recovery.