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Research Paper|Volume 9, Issue 2|pp 408—418

Impact of resistance training on the autophagy-inflammation-apoptosis crosstalk in elderly subjects

Yubisay Mejías-Peña1, Brisamar Estébanez1, Paula Rodriguez-Miguelez2, Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalo3, Mar Almar1, José A. de Paz1, Javier González-Gallego1, María J. Cuevas1
  • 1Institute of Biomedicine (IBIOMED), University of León, León, Spain
  • 2Division of Clinical Translational Science, Georgia Prevention Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
  • 3Radiobiology Unit, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN), Mol, Belgium
Received: October 24, 2016Accepted: January 25, 2017Published: February 2, 2017
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.101167

Copyright: © 2017 Mejías-Peña et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

Aging is associated with a decline in autophagy and a state of low-grade inflammation which further affects apoptosis and autophagy. Importantly, these alterations could reverse with regular physical activity. This study assessed the effects of a resistance exercise training program on autophagy, NLRP3 inflammasome, and apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from old subjects. Twenty-six healthy women and men (age, 69.6±1.5 yr) were randomized to a training (TG) or a control (CG) group. TG performed an 8-week resistance training program, while CG followed their daily routines. Protein expression of beclin-1, Atg12, Atg16 and LAMP-2 increased following the training program, while expression of p62/SQSTM1 and phosphorylation of ULK-1 at Ser757 were significantly lower. Resistance exercise also induced a decrease in NLRP3 expression and in the caspase-1/procaspase-1 ratio. Expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, as well as the Bad/BcL-2 ratio were reduced, and there was a significant decrease in the protein content of caspase-3. The results obtained seem to indicate that 8-week resistance training stimulates autophagy, prevents NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and reduces apoptosis in PBMCs from elderly subjects. These data could have a significant impact in prevention and rehabilitation programs currently employed in elderly population.