Exercise training in male mice (F0) and epigenetic repercussions on the molecular and functional mechanisms of insulin secretion of the offsprings (F1) fed a high fat diet

Abstract

It is estimated that the number of people with diabetes mellitus in the South and Central America will increase 102% between 2007 and 2025. Chronic complications associated with this disease result in increasing morbidity, reduce life expectancy and cause enormous health cost. There is strong evidence that obesity and physical inactivity are the main nongenetic determinants of diabetes, and a growing number of studies has indicated that alteration in epigenetic mechanisms may be associated with this disease. While the effects of maternal nutrition are well established, recently it has been demonstrated an important biological role of the father with respect to obesity and metabolic programming of the offspring. At adulthood, female rats whose fathers were fed a high fat diet were glucose intolerant, had reduced insulin secretion and alteration in expression of more than 600 genes in pancreatic islets. Despite the beneficial effects of regular exercise are well recognized, little is known regarding exercise performed by the progenitors in next generations. For this reason, the aim of this project is to analyze the effects of chronic exercise (8 weeks swimming, 1 h/day, 5 days/week) performed by male mice (F0) on molecular and functional mechanisms of metabolic pathways which control the insulin secretion process by isolated pancreatic islet from offsprings (F1) fed a control or high fat diet for 12 weeks, and the possible involvement of epigenetic modulation on these processes by either diet or exercise. (AU)