Peppler WT, Anderson ZG, Sutton CD, Rector RS, Wright DC. Voluntary wheel running attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced liver inflammation in mice. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 310: R934 -R942, 2016. First published February 17, 2016 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00497.2015.-Sepsis induces an acute inflammatory response in the liver, which can lead to organ failure and death. Given the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise, we hypothesized that habitual physical activity could protect against acute sepsis-induced liver inflammation via mechanisms, including heat shock protein (HSP) 70/72. Male C57BL/6J mice (n ϭ 80, ϳ8 wk of age) engaged in physical activity via voluntary wheel running (VWR) or cage control (SED) for 10 wk. To induce sepsis, we injected (2 mg/kg ip) LPS or sterile saline (SAL), and liver was harvested 6 or 12 h later. VWR attenuated increases in body and epididymal adipose tissue mass, improved glucose tolerance, and increased liver protein content of PEPCK (P Ͻ 0.05). VWR attenuated increases in LPS-induced IL-6 signaling and mRNA expression of other inflammatory markers (TNF-␣, chemokine C-C motif ligand 2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, IL-10, IL-1) in the liver; however, this was not reflected at the whole body level, as systemic markers of inflammation were similar between SED and VWR. Insulin tolerance was greater in VWR compared with SED at 6 but not 12 h after LPS. The protective effect of VWR occurred in parallel with increases in the liver protein content of HSP70/72, a molecular chaperone that can protect against inflammatory challenges. This study provides novel evidence that physical activity protects against the inflammatory cascade induced by LPS in the liver and that these effects may be mediated via HSP70/72. lipopolysaccharide; inflammation; liver; physical activity; exercise SEPSIS IS A CONTINUUM OF CLINICAL events defined by the presence of infection and systemic inflammation (18). The worldwide incidence of sepsis was recently estimated at 437 cases per 100,000 person years between 2003 and 2015, with an associated fatality rate of 17% (11). This puts a significant burden on the health care system, and in the United States alone, the direct hospital costs associated with sepsis are over $24 billion (17).The infiltration of a host with both gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial species is often considered to be the cause of acute sepsis (34). LPS from Escherichia coli, a component of gram-negative bacteria, is often used to produce these effects in rodent models. Upon exposure to LPS, an inflammatory cascade is activated both systemically and at a tissue-specific level (1). Initial signaling involves a Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) interaction that then propagates the inflammatory response (24). Increases in circulating inflammatory factors, such as TNF-␣, IL-6, and IL-1, occur rapidly and are regulated by the dose and duration of exposure (21,29,40). Clearance of inflammatory markers begins as early as 8 h post...