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. 2021 May 20;13(5):1735.
doi: 10.3390/nu13051735.

Acute Low-Intensity Treadmill Running Upregulates the Expression of Intestinal Glucose Transporters via GLP-2 in Mice

Kai Aoki  1   2 , Takuji Suzuki  3 , Fang Hui  4 , Takuro Nakano  4 , Koki Yanazawa  4 , Masato Yonamine  2 , Shinichiro Fujita  2 , Takehito Sugasawa  2 , Yasuko Yoshida  5 , Naomi Omi  6 , Yasushi Kawakami  2 , Kazuhiro Takekoshi  2
Affiliations

Acute Low-Intensity Treadmill Running Upregulates the Expression of Intestinal Glucose Transporters via GLP-2 in Mice

Kai Aoki et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The effects of exercise on nutrient digestion and absorption in the intestinal tract are not well understood. A few studies have reported that exercise training increases the expression of molecules involved in carbohydrate digestion and absorption. Exercise was also shown to increase the blood concentration of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), which regulates carbohydrate digestion and absorption in the small intestine. Therefore, we investigated the effects of exercise on the expression of molecules involved in intestinal digestion and absorption, including GLP-2. Six-week-old male mice were divided into a sedentary (SED) and low-intensity exercise (LEx) group. LEx mice were required to run on a treadmill (12.5 m/min, 1 h), whereas SED mice rested. All mice were euthanized 1 h after exercise or rest, and plasma, jejunum, ileum, and colon samples were collected, followed by analysis via IHC, EIA, and immunoblotting. The levels of plasma GLP-2 and the jejunum expression of the GLP-2 receptor, sucrase-isomaltase (SI), and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) were higher in LEx mice. Thus, we showed that acute low-intensity exercise affects the expression of molecules involved in intestinal carbohydrate digestion and absorption via GLP-2. Our results suggest that exercise might be beneficial for small intestine function in individuals with intestinal frailty.

Keywords: glucagon-like peptide 2; glucose transporter 2; intestine; low-intensity exercise; sodium-dependent glucose transporter.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effects of acute exercise on blood lactate concentrations. The concentration of blood lactate was measured before and after exercise. ΔLactate indicates the change in blood lactate concentrations before and after exercise. SED: sedentary group (n = 6). LEx: low-intensity exercise group (n = 6).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of acute exercise on GLP-2 and GLP–2R. (A) Hematoxylin and eosin staining and GLP-2 immunohistochemistry. Scale bar, 100 μm. Black arrows indicate GLP-2. (B) Levels of plasma GLP-2. (C) Expression of GLP-2R in the jejunum. GLP-2: glucagon-like peptide-2, GLP-2R: glucagon-like peptide-2 receptor. CBB: Coomassie brilliant blue stain. To ensure equal protein loading across lanes, membranes were stained with CBB. The CBB bands represent the 35–48 kDa region where various internal controls are present. SED: sedentary group (n = 6). LEx: low-intensity exercise group (n = 6). * p < 0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of acute exercise on the concentrations of plasma glucose, TG, and NEFA. TG: triglycerides, NEFA: non-esterified fatty acids, SED: sedentary group (n = 6). LEx: low-intensity exercise group (n = 6).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effects of acute exercise on the expression of proteins related to carbohydrate absorption and digestion. *** p < 0.0005, * p < 0.05. SI: sucrase-isomaltase. SGLT1: Na+-dependent glucose transporter 1. GLUT2: glucose transporter 2. GLUT5: glucose transporter 5. CBB: Coomassie brilliant blue stain. To ensure equal protein loading across lanes, membranes were stained with CBB. The CBB bands represent the 35–48 kDa region where various internal controls are present. SED: sedentary group (n = 6). LEx: low-intensity exercise group (n = 6).
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