Pre-endurance training prevents acute alcoholic liver injury in rats through the regulation of damaged mitochondria accumulation and mitophagy balance

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of pre-endurance training on the prevention of alcohol-induced acute hepatic injury and on hepatic mitophagy.

Forty-eight male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: (1) control group, (2) 12-week exercise training group, (3) 5-day alcohol intake group, and (4) 12-week exercise training plus 5-day alcohol intake group. The rats were examined to determine the following: BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa protein-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3II), Beclin1 mRNA and protein expressions, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) level, aconitase and ATP synthase activities, mitochondrial inner membrane potential, NADH/NAD⁺ ratio, triglyceride (TG), the number of mtDNA and mitochondrial respiration functions in liver tissue, and serum ALT and AST.

Pre-endurance training attenuated acute alcohol treatment-induced increase in mitochondrial TBARS, ROS production, NADH/NAD⁺ ratio, state 4 respiration rate, TG, serum ALT and AST, as well as BNIP3, HIF-1α, LC3II, and Beclin 1 mRNA and protein levels, however, CYP2E1 and ADH mRNA and protein levels unchanged. Meanwhile, it attenuated the acute alcohol intake-induced decrease in aconitase activity, inner mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ), ATP synthase activity, state 3 respiration rate, respiratory control ratio, and the number of mtDNA.

Pre-endurance training can decrease acute alcohol intake-induced damaged mitochondria accumulation and reduced acute alcohol intake-induced mitophagy, which built a new balance between mitophagy and damaged mitochondria accumulation.