Differential effects of vitamin C or protandim on skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise

Abstract

Maintaining proteostasis is a key mechanism for preserving cell function. Exercise-stimulated proteostasis is regulated, in part, by redox-sensitive signaling. Several studies suggest that supplementation with exogenous antioxidants blunts exercise-induced cellular adaptations, although this conclusion lacks consensus. Our group uses a fundamentally different approach to maintain redox balance by treatment with bioactive phytochemicals to activate the transcription factor nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 and downstream endogenous antioxidant pathways. We hypothesized that vitamin C (VitC) would interfere with redox-sensitive proteostatic mechanisms in skeletal muscle, whereas phytochemical treatment would permit proteostatic maintenance. We measured protein and DNA synthesis in skeletal muscle from high-volume voluntary wheel-running rats. Whereas phytochemical treatment permitted mitochondrial and other proteostatic adaptations to exercise, VitC treatment did not. During an in vitro oxidative challenge, phytochemical treatment helped maintain proteostasis, including the mitochondrial fraction while VitC did not. Our findings support the conclusion that VitC can blunt some of the beneficial adaptations to exercise. We propose that regulation of endogenous antioxidants represents a novel approach to maintain redox balance while still permitting redox-sensitive proteostatic adaptations.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2018
Source ID
10.1152/japplphysiol.00277.2018

Entities

People

  • Benjamin F. Miller
  • Danielle R. Bruns
  • Frederick F. Peelor Iii
  • Karyn L. Hamilton
  • Laurie M. Biela
  • Sarah E. Ehrlicher
  • Shadi Khademi

Organizations

  • Colorado State University
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
  • National Institute on Aging

Tags

Readers

  • Exercise and Sports Science.
  • Immunology and Pathology
  • Molecular and Cellular Biology