This study was designed to determine whether endurance exercise training which significantly activated the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in skeletal muscle induced the metabolic adaptations. Male Wistar rats aged 7 weeks were used in the current study. Acute endurance exercise (20m/min, 18.5% incline, 45min) significantly increased the AMPK phosphorylation level in the soleus muscle. Successive 14-day of endurance training (20m/min, 18.5% incline, 90min) significantly increased the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ (PPARδ), and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) protein expressions and hexokinase, malate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, and β-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase activities in the soleus muscle. These results may suggest that endurance exercise training which adequately activate the AMPK induced skeletal muscle metabolic adaptations at least in part via increased PGC-1α and PPARδ protein expressions.
