Mechanism of intermittent fasting every other day enhancing hypoxia tolerance in rats via stabilization of mitochondrial cristae structure
JIAO Bo
BAI Yungang
ZHAO Ruzhou
CHEN Xiangning
ZHANG Lin
YU Zhibin
Abstract：Objective To investigate the effect of alternate-day intermittent fasting on hypoxic tolerance in rats and to preliminarily explore its underlying mechanisms.Methods Healthy male SD rats weighing 250-300 g were randomly divided into four groups:control group(Con group),control+hypoxia group(Con+H group),intermittent fasting group(IF group),and intermittent fasting+hypoxia group(IF+H group).The Con and Con+H groups were fed normally.The IF and IF+H groups underwent alternate-day fasting,accumulating 72 h of fasting over 5 d,during which food was completely deprived but water was available ad libitum.Body mass,blood glucose,and blood ketone levels were measured daily at fixed times.After 5 d of feeding,the Con+H and IF+H groups were exposed to a simulated high-altitude hypoxic environment at 7 620 m for 24 h to observe survival rates.Myocardial tissue mitochondrial morphology was observed using transmission electron microscopy,and the number of damaged mitochondria was quantified.Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of proteins related to mitochondrial quality control(biogenesis,fusion and fission)and ATP synthesis.ATP content in myocardial tissue was measured using a chemiluminescent ATP assay kit.Results The survival rate of the IF+H group was significantly higher than that of the Con+H group(P<0.01).After alternate-day fasting intervention,the expression of mitochondrial biogenesis and fusion-related proteins in rat myocardial tissue was significantly increased.Under hypoxic conditions,the number of damaged mitochondria in the IF+H group was significantly lower than that in the Con+H group(P<0.01),and ATP content was significantly higher(P<0.01).Conclusion Alternate-day intermittent fasting enhances myocardial hypoxic tolerance in rats by promoting mitochondrial biogenesis and fusion,increasing OPA1 protein expression,and stabilizing mitochondrial cristae structure.
Keywords：intermittent fastinghypoxiamitochondriamitochondrial cristaeGTP phosphohydrolasesadenosine triphosphateheart ventriclesmitochondrial dynamics
Publication Date：2026-01-31
Online Publishing Date：2026-08-26(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 33-38 )