Exercise-Induced Changes in Caveolin-1, Depletion of Mitochondrial Cholesterol, and the Inhibition of Mitochondrial Swelling in Rat Skeletal Muscle but Not in the Liver

Figure 5

The Cav-1-dependent hypothesis of mitoprotection under exercise conditions. Under physiological conditions: appropriate levels of Cav-1 and cholesterol concentrations are presented in the mitochondria of contractile tissues. Under pathological conditions in crude mitochondria, decreased Cav-1, increased cholesterol concentrations, and mitochondrial swelling are observed. Exercise induces the opposite effects; for example, increased Cav-1 levels and decreased cholesterol levels in mitochondria lead to the inhibition of mitochondria swelling.