Effects and molecular mechanisms of acute and intermittent exposure to hypoxia environment and endurance exercise on glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in obese mice with type 2 diabetes

This thesis examined the effects of exposure to moderate hypoxia (15%O₂ in hypoxia chamber) on fasting blood glucose and insulin level, Akt activity and GLUT4 translocation in skeletal muscle, and pancreatic β-cell function, in C57BL/6J mice with high-fat diet induced type 2 diabetes. The results demonstrated that one hour exposure had an acute effect in reducing fasting blood glucose, that may be manifested via an insulin-independent pathway; four weeks intermittent exposure (one hour per day) normalized fasting blood glucose and resulted in improvements in the insulin-dependent signalling pathway and islets β-cell function; and exercise in hypoxia had no additive effects.