Effect of Endurance Exercise Training on Gut Microbiota and ER Stress.
Eun Ji Yoon, So Rok Lee, Beulah Favour Ortutu, Jong-Oh Kim, Varun Jaiswal, Sooyeon Baek, Su-In Yoon, Sang Ki Lee, Jin Hwan Yoon, Hae-Jeung Lee, Jin Ah Cho
Author Information
Eun Ji Yoon: Research Center for Microbiome-Brain Disorders, Chungnam University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea.
So Rok Lee: Department of Food and Nutrition, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea. ORCID
Beulah Favour Ortutu: Department of Food and Nutrition, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea. ORCID
Jong-Oh Kim: Department of Sport Science, Hannam University, Daejeon 34430, Republic of Korea.
Varun Jaiswal: Department of Food and Nutrition, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-do 13120, Republic of Korea. ORCID
Sooyeon Baek: Department of Food and Nutrition, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea.
Su-In Yoon: Research Center for Microbiome-Brain Disorders, Chungnam University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea.
Sang Ki Lee: Department of Sport Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea.
Jin Hwan Yoon: Department of Sport Science, Hannam University, Daejeon 34430, Republic of Korea.
Hae-Jeung Lee: Department of Food and Nutrition, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-do 13120, Republic of Korea. ORCID
Jin Ah Cho: Department of Food and Nutrition, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea. ORCID
Regular exercise as part of one's lifestyle is well-recognized for its beneficial effect on several diseases such as cardiovascular disease and obesity; however, many questions remain unanswered regarding the effects of exercise on the gut environment. This study aimed to investigate the impact of long-term endurance exercise on modulating inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Fifteen-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were subjected to six months of endurance treadmill training, while age-matched controls remained sedentary. Results showed that IL-6 mRNA levels in colon tissues were significantly higher in the exercise group compared to the sedentary group. Exercise activated a significant ER stress-induced survival pathway by increasing BiP and phosphorylation of eIF2α (p-eIF2α) expressions in the liver and colon, while decreasing CHOP in the liver. Gene expressions of MUC2, Occludin, and Claudin-2 were increased in the colon of the exercise group, indicating enhanced intestinal integrity. Furthermore, the data showed a positive correlation between microbiota α-diversity and BiP (r = 0.464~0.677, < 0.05). Populations of Desulfovibrio C21 c20 were significantly greater in the exercise group than the sedentary group. Additionally, predicted functions of the gut microbial community in terms of enzymes and pathways supported the enhancement of fatty-acid-related processes by exercise. These findings suggest that prolonged endurance exercise can affect the colon environment, which is likely related to changes in inflammation, ER stress, mucin layers and tight junctions, associated with modifications in the gut microbiome.
