Effects of intermittent hypoxia training on leukocyte pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK-1) mRNA expression and blood insulin level in prediabetes patients.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

Intermittent hypoxia training/treatment (IHT) is an emerging therapeutic approach to alleviate chronic diseases, such as diabetes. The present study investigated the effects of IHT on blood leucocyte pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK-1) mRNA expression and its relationship with the changes in blood insulin level.

METHODS:

Seven adult healthy volunteers and 11 prediabetic patients participated in this study. A 3-week course of IHT consisted of a 40-min session of 4 cycles of 5-min 12% O2 and 5-min room air breathing per day, 3 sessions per week for 3 weeks (i.e., total 9 sessions of IHT). Plasma insulin levels and leukocyte PDK-1 mRNA expression were determined at various time points either under fasting condition or following oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Correlation between the IHT-induced changes in PDK-1 mRNA and insulin or glucose levels in the same serological samples was analyzed.

RESULTS:

At pre-IHT baseline, PDK-1 mRNA expression was two times higher in prediabetes than control subjects. IHT resulted in significant augmentation in PDK-1 mRNA expression (> twofold) in prediabetes at the end of 3-week IHT and remained elevated 1 month after IHT, which was correlated with a significantly reduced insulin release and lower blood glucose after glucose loading with OGTT.

CONCLUSION:

IHT can trigger beneficial effects in normalizing blood insulin levels in prediabetic patients under oral glucose load, which were closely correlated with an enhanced mRNA expression of PDK-1 in leukocytes. Further clinical trials are warranted to validate the utility of IHT as a non-invasive complementary therapy against diabetes-associated pathologies.

• Authors: Tetiana V Serebrovska, Alla G Portnychenko, Vladimir I Portnichenko, Lei Xi, Egor Egorov, Ivanna Antoniuk-Shcheglova, Svitlana Naskalova, Valeriy B Shatylo
• Journal: European journal of applied physiology (Eur J Appl Physiol) Vol. 119 Issue 3 Pg. 813-823 (Mar 2019) ISSN: 1439-6327 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 30701312 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Insulin
• Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Acetyl-Transferring Kinase
• RNA, Messenger
• Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases

Topics

• Adaptation, Physiological (physiology)
• Adult
• Aged
• Female
• Humans
• Hypoxia (physiopathology)
• Insulin (blood)
• Leukocytes (cytology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Prediabetic State (physiopathology)
• Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases (blood, genetics)
• Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Acetyl-Transferring Kinase
• RNA, Messenger (genetics)