title: Exercise training rescues high fat diet-induced neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of mice.
abstract: Consumption of a high fat diet (HFD) and being overweight both induce functional deterioration and atrophy of the hippocampus. These alterations are associated with mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Exercise combats obesity and enhances brain health. There is substantial evidence that neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is a key regulator of affective behavior, and that increased brain nNOS leads to anxiety while environmental enrichment (EE), which reduces brain nNOS, has anxiolytic effects. In this study we investigated the effects of HFD with and without exercise on nNOS protein and gene expression levels in the brains of mice. Twelve weeks of HFD consumption increased body and mesenteric fat weight, as well as nNOS protein levels in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Six weeks of exercise training reduced body fat and rescued hippocampal and cortical nNOS expression levels in HFD-fed mice. Cerebellar nNOS expression was unaffected by HFD and exercise. Our results suggest that HFD-induced brain dysfunction may be regulated by hippocampal and/or cortical nNOS, and that exercise may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of HFD-induced depression and anxiety via the nNOS/NO pathway. In conclusion, exercise reverses HFD-induced changes in hippocampal and cortical nNOS protein levels in mice.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tomiga
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Saki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shihoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawanaka
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: higaki@fukuoka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yasuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Higaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000201:enzymology*; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008820:Mice, Obese; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I
keywords: EE; Environmental enrichment; HFD; High fat diet; Neuronal nitric oxide synthase; Wheel running exercise; nNOS