To investigate the effect of the increase in glucocorticoids during exercise on endurance, rats were either sham operated (SO) or adrenalectomized. All adrenalectomized rats were given a subcutaneously implanted corticosterone pellet at the time of adrenalectomy. Adrenalectomized rats were injected with corticosterone (ADX Cort) or corn oil (ADX) 5 min before exercise. Rats were killed at rest or after running on a treadmill (21 m/min, 15% grade) until exhaustion. SO rats ran 138 +/- 6 min compared with 114 +/- 9 min for ADX Cort and 89 +/- 8 min for ADX. All differences in run times were significant (P less than 0.05). Corticosterone levels were similar in exhausted SO and ADX Cort groups. ADX exhausted rats had corticosterone levels similar to resting values in SO and ADX rats. Inhibition of the rise in glucocorticoids during exercise had no effect on liver glycogen, liver adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, plasma insulin, blood glucose, lactate, glycerol, or 3-hydroxybutyrate, plasma norepinephrine, or red quadriceps and soleus glycogen. Plasma free fatty acids were significantly depressed at exhaustion in ADX rats compared with SO. These data show that glucocorticoids exert effects within the time frame of a prolonged exercise bout and play a role in increasing endurance.
Sham-operated (SHAM) and saline (ADM-S)- or epinephrine (ADM-E)-infused adrenodemedullated rats were run on a treadmill (21 m/min, 15% grade) for 80 min or until exhaustion. ADM-S rats had significantly lower endurance run times (116 +/- 6 min) than ADM-E rats (136 +/- 8 min) and SHAM rats (150 +/- 6 min). Liver glycogen content dropped from 56 +/- 4 to 10 +/- 2 mg/g in SHAM and from 54 +/- 4 to 18 +/- 5 mg/g in ADM-S and to 20 +/- 8 mg/g in ADM-E rats at 80 min. Liver glycogen was depleted in all rats at exhaustion. Liver fructose 2,6-bisphosphate was decreased markedly in exercising rats, and the extent of decrease was not influenced by adrenodemedullation or by epinephrine infusion. ADM-S rats showed impaired glycogen depletion in the white vastus lateralis and soleus muscles, hypoglycemia, and low blood lactate at 80 min and at exhaustion. Infusion of epinephrine into ADM rats reversed these deficiencies. These data indicate that the adrenal medulla is unessential for normal endurance exercise as long as liver glycogen is available. After liver glycogen is depleted, epinephrine from the adrenal medulla prevents hypoglycemia and is essential for allowing continuation of exercise.
To determine running performance and hormonal and metabolic responses during insulin-induced hypoglycemia, fed and fasted male rats (315 +/- 3 g) were infused with insulin (100 mU/ml, 1.5 ml/h) or saline (1.5 ml/h) for 60 min and then killed at rest or after running on the treadmill (21 m/min, 15% grade). Insulin-infused fed rats ran poorly during the second 10 min of a 20-min exercise test. They were capable of running a total of 43 +/- 5 min, compared with 138 +/- 6 min for saline-infused fed rats. Fasted insulin-infused rats were able to run only 12.8 +/- 0.8 min, compared with 122 +/- 15 min for fasted saline-infused rats. In fasted rats, blood glucose was 1.6 +/- 0.1 mM after 60 min of insulin infusion and 1.2 +/- 0.1 mM after running to exhaustion. Artificial increase of plasma free fatty acids had no effect on performance. Intravenous infusion of glucose at the time of fatigue produced an immediate recovery, allowing the formerly fatigued rats to run 20 min without development of fatigue. These results provide evidence that severe hypoglycemia can be a significant cause of fatigue, even if it occurs early in the course of an exercise bout.
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