Physical Activity Differentially Affects the Cecal Microbiota of Ovariectomized Female Rats Selectively Bred for High and Low Aerobic Capacity

• Published in: PloS one 2015-08, Vol.10 (8), p.e0136150-e0136150
• Main Authors: Liu, Tzu-Wen, Park, Young-Min, Holscher, Hannah D, Padilla, Jaume, Scroggins, Rebecca J, Welly, Rebecca, Britton, Steven L, Koch, Lauren G, Vieira-Potter, Victoria J, Swanson, Kelly S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerobic capacity; Aerobiosis - genetics; Anesthesiology; Animal sciences; Animals; Bacteria; Bacteroidetes; Body composition; Body fat; Body weight; Body weight gain; Cages; Cecum; Cecum - metabolism; Cecum - microbiology; Cecum - physiology; Cyanobacteria; Cyanobacteria - genetics; Cyanobacteria - isolation & purification; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Diabetes; Diet; Disease; DNA; DNA sequencing; Energy; Energy expenditure; Exercise; Exercise physiology; Female; Females; Firmicutes; Firmicutes - genetics; Firmicutes - isolation & purification; Food intake; Gene sequencing; High fat diet; Humans; Intestinal microflora; Metabolic disorders; Metabolism; Microbial activity; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Microbiota - genetics; Microorganisms; Motility; Motor Activity; Nutrition; Obesity; Obesity - metabolism; Obesity - physiopathology; Ovariectomy; Ovary - metabolism; Ovary - physiology; Physical activity; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Physical fitness; Physical training; Physiological aspects; Post-menopause; Proteobacteria - genetics; Proteobacteria - isolation & purification; Rats; Relative abundance; Risk factors; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Rodents; rRNA 16S; Running; Sports medicine
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136150

The gut microbiota is considered a relevant factor in obesity and associated metabolic diseases, for which postmenopausal women are particularly at risk. Increasing physical activity has been recognized as an efficacious approach to prevent or treat obesity, yet the impact of physical activity on the microbiota remains under-investigated. We examined the impacts of voluntary exercise on host metabolism and gut microbiota in ovariectomized (OVX) high capacity (HCR) and low capacity running (LCR) rats. HCR and LCR rats (age = 27 wk) were OVX and fed a high-fat diet (45% kcal fat) ad libitum and housed in cages equipped with (exercise, EX) or without (sedentary, SED) running wheels for 11 wk (n = 7-8/group). We hypothesized that increased physical activity would hinder weight gain, increase metabolic health and shift the microbiota of LCR rats, resulting in populations more similar to that of HCR rats. Animals were compared for characteristic metabolic parameters including body composition, lipid profile and energy expenditure; whereas cecal digesta were collected for DNA extraction. 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon Illumina MiSeq sequencing was performed, followed by analysis using QIIME 1.8.0 to assess cecal microbiota. Voluntary exercise decreased body and fat mass, and normalized fasting NEFA concentrations of LCR rats, despite only running one-third the distance of HCR rats. Exercise, however, increased food intake, weight gain and fat mass of HCR rats. Exercise clustered the gut microbial community of LCR rats, which separated them from the other groups. Assessments of specific taxa revealed significant (p