Weight loss with exercise improves muscle architecture and progenitor cell populations compared to weight loss alone in mice with preneoplastic colorectal lesions

Abstract

Weight loss and exercise reduce colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in persons with obesity. Whether weight loss and exercise effect myofibre characteristics and muscle stem/progenitor cell populations in mice with preneoplastic colorectal lesions, a model of CRC risk, is unknown. To address this gap, male C57Bl/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity or a control (CON) diet prior to azoxymethane injection to induce preneoplastic colorectal lesions. The HFD group was then randomized to weight loss conditions that included (1) switching to the CON diet only (HFD-SED) or switching to the CON diet with treadmill exercise training (HFD-EX). Average myofibre cross-sectional area was not different between groups. There were more smaller-sized fibers in HFD-EX (p<0.05 vs. CON), and more fibrosis in HFD-SED (p<0.05 vs. HFD-EX and CON). There was a trend for more committed (Pax7+MyoD+) myoblasts (p=0.059) and more fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) in HFD-EX (p<0.05 vs. CON). Additionally, the canonical pro-inflammatory marker p-NF-κB, was markedly reduced in the insterstitium of HFD-EX (p<0.05 vs. CON and HFD-SED). Our findings suggest that in mice with preneoplastic colorectal lesions, HFD followed by weight loss with exercise, reduces muscle fibrosis and results in a higher content of muscle stem/progenitor cells. Novelty Bullets: • Exercise improves muscle architecture in mice with preneoplastic colorectal lesion • Exercise increases fibro/adipogenic progenitors and reduces inflammatory signaling in mice with preneoplastic colorectal lesions