Previous studies have shown that chronic hyperglycemia impairs glucose and fatty acid oxidation in cultured human myotubes. To further study the hyperglycemia-induced suppression of oxidation, lactate oxidation, mitochondrial function and glycolytic rate were evaluated. Further, we examined the intracellular content of reactive oxygen species (ROS), production of lactate and conducted pathway-ANOVA analysis on microarray data. In addition, the roles of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and the hexosamine pathway were evaluated. Lactic acid oxidation was suppressed in hyperglycemic versus normoglycaemic myotubes. No changes in mitochondrial function or ROS concentration were observed. Pathway-ANOVA analysis indicated several upregulated pathways in hyperglycemic cells, including glycolysis and PPP. Functional studies showed that glycolysis and lactate production were higher in hyperglycemic than normoglycaemic cells. However, there were no indications of involvement of PPP or the hexosamine pathway. In conclusion, hyperglycemia reduced substrate oxidation while increasing glycolysis and lactate production in cultured human myotubes.

Lifestyle disorders like obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and cardiovascular diseases can be prevented and treated by regular physical activity. During exercise, skeletal muscles release signaling factors that communicate with other organs and mediate beneficial effects of exercise. These factors include myokines, metabolites, and extracellular vesicles (EVs). In the present study, we have examined how electrical pulse stimulation (EPS) of myotubes, a model of exercise, affects the cargo of released EVs. Chronic low frequency EPS was applied for 24 h to human myotubes isolated and differentiated from biopsy samples from six morbidly obese females with T2D, and EVs, both exosomes and microvesicles (MV), were isolated from cell media 24 h thereafter. Size and concentration of EV subtypes were characterized by nanoparticle tracking analysis, surface markers were examined by flow cytometry and Western blotting, and morphology was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Protein content was assessed by high-resolution proteomic analysis (LC-MS/MS), non-coding RNA was quantified by Affymetrix microarray, and selected microRNAs (miRs) validated by real time RT-qPCR. The size and concentration of exosomes and MV were unaffected by EPS. Of the 400 miRs identified in the EVs, EPS significantly changed the level of 15 exosome miRs, of which miR-1233-5p showed the highest fold change. The miR pattern of MV was unaffected by EPS. Totally, about 1000 proteins were identified in exosomes and 2000 in MV. EPS changed the content of 73 proteins in exosomes, 97 in MVs, and of these four were changed in both exosomes and MV (GANAB, HSPA9, CNDP2, and ATP5B). By matching the EPS-changed miRs and proteins in exosomes, 31 targets were identified, and among these several promising signaling factors. Of particular interest were CNDP2, an enzyme that generates the appetite regulatory metabolite Lac-Phe, and miR-4433b-3p, which targets CNDP2. Several of the regulated miRs, such as miR-92b-5p, miR-320b, and miR-1233-5p might also mediate interesting signaling functions. In conclusion, we have used a combined transcriptome-proteome approach to describe how EPS affected the cargo of EVs derived from myotubes from morbidly obese patients with T2D, and revealed several new factors, both miRs and proteins, that might act as exercise factors.

Branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) are predominantly saturated fatty acids with one or more methyl branches on the carbon chain, typically found in dairy products and measured in micromolar concentrations in human plasma. The biological function of BCFAs in humans remains ill-defined, but a relationship between circulating BCFAs and cardiometabolic health has been suggested. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of BCFAs on energy metabolism in human myotubes. The results revealed distinct effects of BCFAs. 12-Methyltetradecanoic acid (12-MTD) increased glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis, while 13-methyltetradecanoic acid (13-MTD), 14-methylhexadecanoic acid (14-MHD), and 15-methylhexadecanoic acid (15-MHD) increased oleic acid uptake and 13-MTD and 15-MHD oleic acid oxidation, indicating a more general stimulatory effect on fatty acid than glucose metabolism. Interestingly, the same BCFAs, 13-MTD, 14-MHD, and 15-MHD, appeared to reduce insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis. Insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of IRS1 was not apparent after exposure to 12-MTD, 13-MTD, and 15-MHD, whereas insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of Akt was unchanged by BCFAs. Incorporation of [¹⁴C]leucine into lipids was affected, as 13-MTD increased the total lipid content, and 12-MTD altered the distribution of lipid classes. Metabolic flux analysis indicated that 14-MHD stimulated extracellular acidification. The effects of BCFAs might involve increased mRNA expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that different BCFAs have distinct effects on energy metabolism in myotubes, 12-MTD mainly affect glucose metabolism, while 13-MTD, 14-MHD, and 15-MHD modulated oleic acid metabolism. These data suggest that some BCFAs might have therapeutic applications by improving energy metabolism.