Training increases cardiac glucose uptake during rest and exercise in rats

Abstract

The effect of chronic exercise on the regional glucose uptake in the left ventricle of the heart was studied in resting and swimming rats using the 2-deoxyglucose method. The left ventricular glucose uptake of untrained resting controls averaged 1.7 +/- 0.1 mumol.min-1.g protein-1 and that of chronically trained resting rats 3.5 +/- 0.3 mumol.min-1.g protein-1 (P less than 0.001). During a 20-min swimming period the glucose uptake rate of untrained rats was 2.3 +/- 0.1 mumol.min-1.g protein-1 and that of trained rats 3.4 +/- 0.3 mumol.min-1.g protein-1 (P less than 0.01). The subendocardial glucose uptake was 25% higher than the subepicardial uptake in the resting control group, whereas no gradient was observed in the other groups. The product of heart rate and blood pressure during swimming increased by 60-70% in the untrained and trained groups. The increase in total left ventricular glucose uptake and its transmural distribution by training seemed to be independent of the actual oxygen consumption or supply of major alternative myocardial substrates.