Exercise-Induced N-Lactoylphenylalanine Predicts Adipose Tissue Loss during Endurance Training in Overweight and Obese Humans
Miriam Hoene,
Xinjie Zhao,
Jürgen Machann,
Andreas L. Birkenfeld,
Martin Heni,
Andreas Peter,
Andreas Niess,
Anja Moller,
Rainer Lehmann,
Guowang Xu,
Cora Weigert
Affiliations
Miriam Hoene
Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Department for Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Xinjie Zhao
CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Science for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
Jürgen Machann
Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Zentrum München at the University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Andreas L. Birkenfeld
Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Zentrum München at the University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Martin Heni
Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Department for Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Andreas Peter
Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Department for Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Andreas Niess
Department of Sports Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Anja Moller
Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Zentrum München at the University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Rainer Lehmann
Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Department for Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Guowang Xu
CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Science for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
Cora Weigert
Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Department for Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Physical exercise is a powerful measure to prevent cardiometabolic diseases. However, the individual response to lifestyle interventions is variable and cannot, to date, be predicted. N-Lactoylphenylalanine (Lac-Phe) produced during exercise has recently been shown to mediate weight loss in obese mice. Lac-Phe could also contribute to, and potentially explain differences in, the effectiveness of exercise interventions in humans. Sedentary overweight and obese subjects completed an 8-week supervised endurance exercise intervention (n = 22). Before and after the intervention, plasma levels of Lac-Phe were determined by UHPLC-MS in the resting state and immediately after an acute bout of endurance exercise. Adipose tissue volume was quantified using MRI. Acute exercise caused a pronounced increase in Lac-Phe, both before and after the intervention. Higher levels of Lac-Phe after acute exercise were associated with a greater reduction in abdominal subcutaneous and, to a lower degree, visceral adipose tissue during the intervention. Lac-Phe produced during physical activity could contribute to weight loss by acting as a signaling molecule that regulates food intake, as previously shown in mice. Quantification of Lac-Phe during an exercise test could be employed as a tool to predict and potentially improve the individual response to exercise-based lifestyle interventions in overweight humans and those with obesity.
