OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of sugar supplementation on the activation of AMPK in exercise myocardium by measuring the changes in myocardial adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase activity and glycogen content after acute exercise in rats.
Methods: Rats were subjected to acute endurance exercise and supplemented with different doses of glucose at different times before and after exercise. The dynamic changes of myocardial AMPK activity in rats were determined by Western blot, and the content of myocardial glycogen was determined by anthrone method.
RESULTS: Exercise-induced myocardial AMPK activity in rats was significantly increased and maintained at a high level 1 h after acute exercise. However, myocardial AMPK activity in exercise-supplemented rats did not increase significantly. Neither exercise nor low-dose sugar supplementation could cause significant changes in glycogen content in rats, and only high-dose sugar supplementation could significantly increase glycogen content 24 h after exercise.
Conclusion: (1) Acute exercise can increase myocardial AMPK activity in rats, and sugar supplementation can significantly inhibit the activation of AMPK during and after acute exercise. (2) High-dose post-exercise sugar supplementation can effectively increase myocardial glycogen content 24 h after exercise.