2026/07/03 by Kazuho Inoue, Saori Sekiguchi, Yuji Ogura +10 · 1 voice
Medicine · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Diabetes Treatment and Management #Metabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer #Pharmacology and Obesity Treatment
paper · doi:10.1016/j.jphyss.2026.100087
openalex publication_date 2026/07/03 · openalex created_date 2026/07/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27
This study assessed whether empagliflozin (EMPA) combined with endurance exercise further improves the soleus muscle in spontaneously diabetic Torii fatty rats, a model of obese type 2 diabetes. Male rats were divided into untreated control, exercise, EMPA, or EMPA + exercise groups. Age-matched Sprague-Dawley rats served as nondiabetic controls. Treadmill training and EMPA (0.03% in chow) were provided from 8 to 16 weeks of age. Both EMPA and the combined intervention improved blood glucose and insulin resistance. Additionally, the combined treatment reduced total cholesterol and triglycerides compared with EMPA alone. The cross-sectional area of type I fibers in the soleus tended to improve with all interventions. Combination treatment significantly enhanced citrate synthase activity, mitochondrial functional protein expression, and autophagic flux. These findings suggest that although EMPA does not adversely affect the soleus muscle, combining it with endurance exercise confers superior benefits via improved mitochondrial status, autophagy, and lipid metabolism.