Effects of endurance exercise training on endoplasmic reticulum stress in pancreatic islets of obese mice

Obesity is a serious health problem worldwide and the search for new control methods and therapies is imperative. Studies indicate that a variety of obesogenic diets may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) by causing insulin resistance in peripheral tissues. The chronic increase in free fatty acids associated with obesity may increase insulin demand by pancreatic beta cells and induce intrinsic beta cell dysfunction through endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which is associated with beta cell loss during the development of T2D. Physical exercise approaches have been emerging as powerful tools and adjuncts in a variety of conditions, improving glucose homeostasis, oxygen uptake, and metabolism. Here, we showed that a 16-week endurance training program mitigated the deleterious effects of an obesogenic diet on glycemic homeostasis, insulin secretion, and ER stress markers as well as islet health markers in C57/BL6 obese mice. The results corroborated the assumption that physical exercise is an effective therapy to avoid beta cell death in glucose metabolism dysfunction and T2D in obese individuals.