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Activation of AMPK and its Impact on Exercise Capacity

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Abstract

Activation of the adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated kinase (AMPK) contributes to beneficial effects such as improvement of the hyperglycemic state in diabetes as well as reduction of obesity and inflammatory processes. Furthermore, stimulation of AMPK activity has been associated with increased exercise capacity. A study published in 2008, directly before the Olympic Games in Beijing, showed that the AMPK activator AICAR (5-amino-1-β-d-ribofuranosyl-imidazole-4-carboxamide) increased the running capacity of mice without any training and thus, prompted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to include certain AMPK activators in the list of forbidden drugs. This raises the question as to whether all AMPK activators should be considered for registration or whether the increase in exercise performance is only associated with specific AMPK-activating substances. In this review, we intend to shed light on currently published AMPK-activating drugs, their working mechanisms, and their impact on body fitness.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the ‘Landesoffensive zur Entwicklung wissenschaftlich-ökonomischer Exzellenz (LOEWE), Zentrum für Translationale Medizin und Pharmakologie’ and a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) to Ellen Niederberger (NI/705/3-3). The authors would like to thank Professor Michael Parnham for carefully reading and correcting the manuscript.

Gerd Geisslinger is an anti-doping expert of the Landessportbund Hessen, Frankfurt, Germany.

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  1. Pharmazentrum Frankfurt/ZAFES, Institut für Klinische Pharmakologie, Klinikum der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Theodor Stern Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Ellen Niederberger, Tanya S. King, Otto Quintus Russe & Gerd Geisslinger

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  1. Ellen Niederberger
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  2. Tanya S. King
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Correspondence to Ellen Niederberger.

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Ellen Niederberger, Tanya S. King, Otto Q. Russe, and Gerd Geisslinger declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Niederberger, E., King, T.S., Russe, O.Q. et al. Activation of AMPK and its Impact on Exercise Capacity. Sports Med 45, 1497–1509 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0366-z

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