The influence of chronic aerobic training and physical detraining on adiposity in subcutaneous and retroperitoneal rat fat pad: characterization of apoptosis and adipogenesis

Abstract

Obesity is considered a public health problem that affects all societies worldwide. Excessive white adipose tissue (WAT) is positively correlated with increased morbidity and mortality, mainly by increasing risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The physical exercise, a lifestyle habit, is both an important non-pharmacological tool to fight obesity and an interesting model system for studying the cellular and metabolic adaptations in WAT. However, most studies have focused on the exercise-induced metabolic adaptations in WAT, but there are few studies in the literature which attempt to analyze the influence of physical detraining on these adaptations; and, the cellular adaptations that occur in this tissue during training and detraining have been studied even less. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze the influence of training-detraining on adiposity in subcutaneous and retroperitoneal (visceral) fat depots, with a particular interest in the cell turnover in these fat cushions. For this purpose, we intend to analyze the adipogenesis and apoptosis processes, both at the cellular and molecular level (gene and protein expression), and to study lipolysis and lipogenesis. We hope to understand more about the effects of exercise on adiposity in WAT and the effects of its interruption.