Role of AMPK-α2 in exercise-related improvements in insulin response in muscle after a high-fat diet

Voluntary wheel running increased insulin-mediated palmitate uptake by 76.7% in wild-type mice on a standard diet.

• Exercise training decreased blood glucose levels and increased citrate synthase activity in both standard and high-fat diet groups by week 6.
• In wild-type mice, exercise improved insulin sensitivity and enhanced palmitate oxidation more than two-fold on a standard diet.
• AMPK-α2 activity may be necessary for exercise-induced improvements in insulin-stimulated metabolism, as these effects were not observed in dominant-negative mice.
• With a high-fat diet, exercise reduced palmitate oxidation by 61-64% in both wild-type and dominant-negative mice.
• Exercise training decreased JNK1/2 phosphorylation in all mice regardless of genotype when on a high-fat diet.

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