Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

AIM: Hypoxia has been shown to reduce resistance exercise-induced stimulation of protein synthesis and long-term gains in muscle mass. However, the mechanism whereby hypoxia exerts its effect is not clear. Here we examine the effect of acute hypoxia on the activity of several signaling pathways involved in regulation of muscle growth following a bout of resistance exercise.

METHODS: Eight men performed two sessions of leg resistance exercise in Normoxia or Hypoxia (12% O₂ ) in a randomized crossover fashion. Muscle biopsies were obtained at rest and at 0, 90,180 min after exercise. Muscle analyses included levels of signaling proteins and metabolites associated with energy turnover.

RESULTS: Exercise during Normoxia induced a 5-10-fold increase of S6K1^Thr389 phosphorylation throughout the recovery period, but Hypoxia blunted the increases by ~50%. Phosphorylation of JNK^{Thr183/Tyr185} and the JNK target SMAD2^{Ser245/250/255} was increased by 30-40-fold immediately after exercise in Normoxia, but Hypoxia blocked almost 70% of the activation. Throughout recovery, phosphorylation of JNK and SMAD2 remained elevated following exercise in Normoxia, but the effect of Hypoxia was lost at 90-180 min post-exercise. Hypoxia had no effect on exercise induced Hippo- or autophagy-signaling and ubiquitin-proteasome related protein levels. Nor did Hypoxia alter the changes induced by exercise in high energy phosphates, glucose 6-P, lactate, or phosphorylation of AMPK or ACC.

CONCLUSION: We conclude that acute severe hypoxia inhibits resistance exercise induced mTORC1- and JNK signaling in human skeletal muscle, effects that do not appear to be mediated by changes in the degree of metabolic stress in the muscle.