TRAINING EFFECTS ON MATERNAL AND FETAL GLUCOSE-UPTAKE FOLLOWING ACUTEEXERCISE IN THE RAT

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of chron ic maternal exercise on glucose uptake in maternal tissues after one b out of treadmill running during late gestation in the rat and to deter mine the effects on glucose accumulation in the fetus and placenta. Tr ained pregnant animals (PR) ran at 30 m . min-1, on a 10-degrees incli ne for 1 h on day 20 of gestation with a similarly treated trained non pregnant group (NPR). Immediately after the run the animals were infus ed with a bolus of 1 g . kg-1 body wt as a 50% dextrose solution mixed with 2-deoxy-D-[1-H-3] glucose through a carotid catheter. Sedentary pregnant (P) and nonpregnant animals (C) were also infused with the so lution after no food and water for the same time frame. After 60 min, tissues were analyzed for radioactivity. Radioactive tracer was augmen ted in the red gastrocnemius and soleus of the PR group and the soleus of P rats. However, tracer accumulation in the fetus and placenta of the trained animals was not different than P animals. These results in dicate that acute exercise in trained animals increased glucose uptake in maternal skeletal muscles without compromising conceptus glucose a ccumulation.