Parra-Montes de Oca et al. 2025

To demonstrate that stress-induced HPT axis dysfunction alters the expression of T3 targets in tissues involved in exercise such as SKM, WAT and BAT, we studied the long-term effects of chronic variable stress (CVS) during adolescence, a developmental period where females show higher susceptibility to stress compared to males. Hence, male and female rats (control or CVS) were exposed to voluntary exercise for two weeks at adulthood; a pair-fed group was included to account for exercise-induced diminished food intake. Elements involved in HPT and HPA axes activities were measured to evaluate responses to stress, exercise and food intake; Pomc and Npy expression in the ARC and serum concentration of leptin as sensors of energy status, and serum triglyceride concentration as an indirect measure of lipid mobilization. We also measured in SKM and adipose tissues the expression profiles of Dio2 that is regulated in some tissues by either stress, glucocorticoids or exercise, of Pgc-1α that mediates biogenesis of mitochondria and oxidative capacity, fatty acid utilization and fiber-type switching, of adrenergic receptor β3 (Adrb3) responsible of sympathetic-induced activation in all adipose tissues, of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (Pparg), a transcription factor that acts as lipid sensor and is involved in lipolytic and lipogenic actions as well as in exercise-induced browning of inguinal WAT (iWAT), and in glucose homeostasis in perigonadal WAT (pgWAT), of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL, Lipe) that is the rate limiting step of lipolysis (65), and finally of uncoupling protein-1 (Ucp1) responsible for thermogenesis in BAT.