rat metagenome Raw sequence reads

Patients with metabolic syndrome are particularly prone to develop PCD. To further explore the reasons for this enhanced risk, we have used a validated animal model in which low capacity runner (LCR) rats, bred for their limited aerobic exercise capacity, exhibit each of visceral obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance, the cardinal features of the metabolic syndrome. After aseptic trauma, the LCR rats develop an exaggerated and more persistent form of cognitive decline that is associated with a failure of resolution of inflammation. Aerobic exercise training attenuates inflammation by altering signaling in innate immune cells. Exercise has also been shown to limit inflammation in Type 2 Diabetic patients. Therefore, we sought to determine whether exercise rectifies the neuroinflammatory response to surgical trauma in LCR rats and whether the exaggerated and persistent PCD can be mitigated. As an altered gut microbiomemay be a driver for persistent inflammation we also determined the effect of exercise on the diversity of the microbiome in LCR rats.