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Exercise training reverses the negative effects of chronic L-arginine supplementation on insulin sensitivity

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Version 2 2024-06-13, 06:47
Version 1 2018-06-05, 12:27
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-13, 06:47 authored by RB Salgueiro, F Gerlinger-Romero, L Guimarães-Ferreira, T de Castro Barbosa, MT Nunes
L-Arginine has emerged as an important supplement for athletes and non-athletes in order to improve performance. Arginine has been extensively used as substrate for nitric oxide synthesis, leading to increased vasodilatation and hormonal secretion. However, the chronic consumption of arginine has been shown to impair insulin sensitivity. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate whether chronic arginine supplementation associated with exercise training would have a beneficial impact on insulin sensitivity. We, therefore, treated Wistar rats for 4weeks with arginine, associated or not with exercise training (treadmill). We assessed the somatotropic activation, by evaluating growth hormone (GH) gene expression and protein content in the pituitary, as well is GH concentration in the serum. Additionally, we evaluate whole-body insulin sensitivity, by performing an insulin tolerance test. Skeletal muscle morpho-physiological parameters were also assessed. Insulin sensitivity was impaired in the arginine-treated rats. However, exercise training reversed the negative effects of arginine. Arginine and exercise training increased somatotropic axis function, muscle mass and body weight gain. The combination arginine and exercise training further decreased total fat mass. Our results confirm that chronic arginine supplementation leads to insulin resistance, which can be reversed in the association with exercise training. We provide further evidence that exercise training is an important tool to improve whole-body metabolism.

History

Journal

Life sciences

Volume

191

Pagination

17-23

Location

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Open access

  • Yes

eISSN

1879-0631

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article, C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2017, Elsevier Inc.

Publisher

Elsevier