A Single Bout of Exercise Increases the Expression of Glucose but not Fatty Acid Transporters in Skeletal Muscle of IL-6 KO Mice

IL-6 is a biologically active cytokine released during exercise by contracting skeletal muscles. It appears to be highly involved in the regulation of muscles energy substrate utilization. Whether an ablation of IL-6 (IL-6 KO) in mice subjected to a single bout of exercise affects lipid and/or glucose metabolism is currently unknown. In the present study we examined fatty acid (FAT/CD36, FABPpm, FATP-1, FATP-4) as well as glucose (GLUT-1, GLUT-4) transporters expression in IL-6 KO mice. In addition, intramuscular glycogen and lipid content was also evaluated. The expression of all fatty acid transporters (FAT/CD36: +25 %; FATP-1: +31 %; FABPpm: +12.7 %; FATP-4: +7.2 %) was increased in muscles from IL-6 KO mice compared to wild type (WT) mice. Accordingly intramuscular lipid content was also increased in these muscles (FFA: +38 %; DAG: +36 % and TAG: +160 %). Interestingly, IL-6 deficiency had only minor effect on glucose transporters expression (GLUT-1: −4 %, and GLUT-4: −5.1 %), with no apparent difference in muscular glycogen content. A single bout of exercise increased the glucose transporters (GLUT-1: +8 %; GLUT-4: +15 %) as well as FA transporters (FAT/CD36: +13 %; FABPpm: +4.5 %; FATP: +2.5 %, FATP-4: +10 %) expression but only in WT skeletal muscles. In muscles from IL-6 KO mice exercise induced changes only in glucose (GLUT-1: +20 %; GLUT-4: +35 %) but not in the content of FA transporters. Concomitantly, IL-6 KO mice displayed shorter time toward exhaustion with more pronounced reductions in intramuscular lipid and glycogen content. We may speculate, that IL-6 deficiency provokes more pronounced glucose utilization over lipid oxidation during a single bout of exhausting exercise.