Review Article

Understanding the Role of Exercise in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: ERS-Linked Molecular Pathways

Table 1

Summary of the effects of exercise on NAFLD and related molecular mechanisms.

RoleAnimalExercise typesResults and mechanismsReference

Reducing lipid accumulationMiceTreadmill exercise; 60 min/d, 6 weeksLipid droplets reduction, nitric oxide content ↑, total nitric oxide synthase (NOS) ↑, inducible NOS ↑, endothelial NOS, inducible NOS mRNA ↑[37]
RatSwimming; 90 min/d, 12 weeksSerum adiponectin (ADPN) ↑, liver adiponectin receptor2 (AdipoR2) ↑, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) ↑[38]
RatSwimming; 90 min/d, 12 weeksp-AMPK ↑, p-AMPK/AMPK ↑[39]
MiceTreadmill exercise; 60 min/d, 7 weeksLiver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances ↓, glutathione peroxidase, SOD, liver β-oxidation ↑, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) ↓, PPARα ↑, alternative oxidase, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, cytochrome P450 4A10 (CYP4A10), CYP4A12 mRNA ↑[40]
RatSwimming; 60-90 min/d, 12 weeksp-Protein kinase B (p-Akt) ↑, AMPK staining ↑, PPAR staining ↑, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c), stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 ↓[41]
RatTreadmill exercise; 60 min/d, 6 weeksMannosylglycoprotein N-acetyl-glucosaminyltransferase 1 ↓, PPARγ ↑, carbohydrate response element binding protein, SREBP-1c ↓[42]
Improving insulin resistanceMiceTreadmill exercise (HIIT) 60 min/d, 6 weeksp-Akt ↑, fat and glucose uptake ↑, 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake ↑, inflammatory factors remained stable[43]
RatSwimming; 60 min/d, 6 weeksSerum Irisin ↑, liver PPARα[44]
HumanBrisk walking, tai chi; 60 min/d, 16 weeksSerum SREBP-1c ↓, retinol binding protein 4 ↓, TNF-α[45]
Inhibiting inflammationRatTreadmill exercise 60 min/d, 6 weeksHigh-molecular-weight adiponectin ↑, Sirt-1 ↑, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) ↓, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, neutrophil cytosolic factor 2 ↓[46]
RatSwimming; 90 min/d, 12 weeksNF-κB ↓, TNF-α[47]
MiceTreadmill exercise; 60 min/d, 16 weeksTNF-α ↓, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase 1 ↓, collagen1α ↓, CD11c ↓, toll-like receptor 4 ↓[48]
RatSwimming; 90 min/d, 12 weeksTNF-α ↓, adiponectin mRNA ↑[49]
RatSwimming; 90 min/d, 12 weeksSerum ADPN ↑, liver AdipoR2 ↑, PPARα[38]
Strengthening cell functionMiceTreadmill exercise; 40 min/d, 10 weeksLiver miR33 ↑, fatty acid synthase, acetyl-coa carboxylase, SREBP-1c ↓, liver autophagy-related protein 5, autophagy-related protein 7, lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2, Beclin1 ↑[50]
MiceTreadmill exercise; 60 min/d, 16 weeksProtein dispersibility index ↓, IRE-1α, p-JNK ↓, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase ↓, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) ↑[51]
RatWheel running; 60 min/d, 8 weeksMitochondrial metabolic enzyme ↑, oxygen consumption ↑, maintain mitochondrial membrane phosphatidylethanolamine[52]
RatTreadmill exercise; 60 min/d, 8 weeksLiver mitochondrial phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol ↑, saturated fatty acids ↓, polyunsaturated fatty acids ↑, mitochondrial biogenesis ↑[53]