title: Osteopetrosis in obese female rats is site-specifically inhibited by physical training.
abstract: What is the central question of this study? Clinical studies suggest that obesity 'protects' against osteoporosis. However, these studies used only bone densitometry and assessed only one bone site, which is insufficient to enable conclusions to be drawn about the response of the whole skeleton. Furthermore, the effects of exercise on bone responses in obesity have not been explored previously. What is the main finding and what is its importance? We show that obesity causes osteopetrosis. Therefore, the classical perspective of 'protective effects of obesity' needs to be reviewed, and exercise is an important tool to avoid these alterations and to maintain the homeostasis of bone. A sedentary lifestyle and obesity induce systemic inflammatory responses. Although the effects of physical inactivity on osseous tissue have been well established, the effects of obesity on bone tissue remain controversial. Furthermore, the effects of physical training on bone tissue responses in the presence of diet-induced obesity are unknown. Our aim was to investigate the effects of obesity and physical training at multiple bone sites in rats. Female Wistar rats were divided into the following four groups: (i) control diet, non-trained (C-NT); (ii) high-refined carbohydrate-containing diet, non-trained (HC-NT); (iii) control diet, trained (C-T); and (iv) high-refined carbohydrate-containing diet, trained (HC-T). At 5 months of age, the rats were submitted to daily exercise for 30 min day(-1). After 13 weeks, blood samples, adipose and skeletal tissues were harvested. Two-way ANOVA was applied to detect differences (significance accepted when P ≤ 0.05). The HC-NT group exhibited increased body mass, adiposity, serum leptin, serum insulin, insulin resistance index and concentrations of tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6. Obese rats (HC-NT) exhibited thickening of nasal bones, trabecular bones in the lumbar vertebrae and long bones in a site-dependent manner. The HC-T group exhibited similar adiposity and inflammatory results. Morphological analysis of the lumbar vertebrae in rats fed the HC diet revealed characteristics of osteopetrosis that were inhibited by exercise. In conclusion, the HC diet induced obesity and inflammatory/hormonal alterations and increased the trabecular bone in a site-dependent manner. However, obesity caused osteopetrosis in the lumbar vertebrae, which could be inhibited by physical training. Although exercise inhibited the development of bone alterations, physical training did not inhibit the HC diet-induced obesity responses.
authors.affiliation: Exercise Physiology Laboratory, EEFFTO/UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Débora Romualdo
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lacerda
authors.forename: Rogéria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Serakides
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Melo Ocarino
authors.forename: Adaliene Versiani Matos
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Michele Macedo
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Moraes
authors.forename: Jankerle Neves
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Boeloni
authors.forename: Juneo Freitas
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Marina Chaves
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Luiz Alexandre Medrado
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: de Barcellos
authors.forename: Luiz Oswaldo Carneiro
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Danusa Dias
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001835:Body Weight; D015519:Bone Density; D016723:Bone Remodeling; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010022:Osteopetrosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D018836:Inflammation Mediators