High-intensity interval exercise leads to greater improvements in the vascular endothelial function than continuous exercise at moderate intensity. However, few studies have been performed on the effects of repetition exercise consisting of high-intensity exercise followed by complete rest on the arterial function. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of repetition exercise on the vascular endothelial function determined by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD). Eleven healthy male subjects completed two exercise sessions on a cycle ergometer in a counterbalanced order. The exercise sessions were 20 min cycling at 50% maximal work rate (W max ) (continuous exercise, CE) and 20 × 20-sec intervals at 100%W max interspersed with 40-sec intervals at complete rest (repetition exercise, RE). Before and after each protocol, the brachial systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured in the supine position. Relative FMD was assessed at rest and 30 and 60 min after each exercise regimen, and then the normalized FMD (nFMD) was calculated from the peak shear rate. The FMD significantly increased 30 min after RE (8.2 ± 1.5% to 11.5 ± 3.1%, p<0.01) and non-significantly increased 30 min after CE (7.5 ± 1.6% to 8.1 ± 2.1%, n.s.) before returning to baseline at 60 min after both exercise regimens. The FMD value at 30 min after RE was significantly greater than that at 30 min after CE (p<0.01). The nFMD (a.u.) significantly increased 30 min after RE (1.38 ± 0.64 to 2.00 ± 0.94, p<0.05) and non-significantly increased 30 min after CE (1.20 ± 0.54 to 1.49 ± 0.57, n.s.) before returning to baseline at 60 min after both exercise regimens. These results suggest that repetition exercise may lead to an acute improvement in the vascular endothelial function.
Many businesses thrive by producing health supplements from agricultural products, as exemplified by the production of functional (or health) foods using plants traditionally cultivated in rural areas. Dyes, such as indican, indigo, indoxyl, and indirubin, present in dye plants, possess antibacterial, antifungal, and antiproliferative activities. However, these effects may also lead to cytotoxicity. Thus, studies on normal mammalian cells are necessary to identify cytotoxicity and prevent adverse effects of functional foods that contain these dyes. In this study, the effects of indican, indigo, indoxyl, and indirubin were evaluated by flow cytometry using appropriate fluorescent probes in rat thymic lymphocytes. Among the dyes analyzed, indirubin exerted distinct cellular activities. Treatment with indirubin (10-30 μM) increased the population of shrunken dead cells. The side scatter, but not forward scatter, increased in indirubin-treated living cells. It increased the population of annexin V-bound living and dead cells and that of dead cells without annexin V. Indirubin elevated intracellular Ca, but not Zn levels. The cellular content of superoxide anions increased and that of glutathione decreased. Indirubin depolarized the cellular plasma and mitochondrial membranes. It did not potentiate or attenuate the cytotoxicity of A23187 (Ca overload) and HO (oxidative stress). The results suggested that indirubin induces both apoptotic and non-apoptotic cell death. It may be difficult to predict and prevent the adverse effects of indirubin due to its diverse activities on normal mammalian cells. Therefore, indirubin should be removed from products that contain dye plant extracts.
Endurance exercises such as cycling and running are useful for improving the arterial function and preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, subjects suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI) or lower limb osteoarthritis (OA) cannot perform these kinds of lower limb exercises. Recently, electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) has been shown to be able to increase the muscle strength and blood flow and improve the peripheral circulation. Arm-cranking exercises with EMS may therefore be able to reduce the risk of CVD for patients with SCI and lower OA. However, this point has not been fully clarified. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of submaximal arm-cranking exercise with EMS on arterial stiffness. Ten healthy young subjects performed submaximal arm-cranking exercise alone (A) and submaximal armcranking exercise with EMS (A+E). In the A+E trial, the submaximal arm-cranking exercise was performed at 30%V 4 O 2 max for 20 min while EMS was applied to their thigh and calf muscles during the exercise. The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) and heart rate (HR) were measured before and after each exercise. Immediately after the exercise session, the HR of the subjects in the A+E trial was significantly elevated in comparison to those in the A trial. The SBP and DBP did not differ between the two trials to a statistically significant extent. In the A+E trial, the ba-PWV was significantly reduced immediately after exercise in comparison to the A trial (1082.6 ± 105.9 cm•sec-1 vs. 1191.7 ± 86.7 cm•sec-1 , p < 0.05). These findings suggest that arm-cranking exercise with EMS reduces arterial stiffness and might be useful for reducing the risk of CVD.
Heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco smoking has spread throughout the market. While it is suggested that HNB tobacco smoking reduces the vascular endothelial function and is associated with a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The antioxidant of vitamin C may attenuate the unfavorable effects of HNB tobacco smoking. In the present study, we examined the effect of oral vitamin C ingestion on the flow-mediated dilation (FMD) at the brachial artery and oxidative stress markers in patients before and after transient HNB tobacco smoking. Twelve healthy adult males underwent high-resolution ultrasonography of the brachial artery and evaluations of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) and the biological antioxidant potential (BAP) before and after a single session of HNB smoking. FMD was used to examine the endothelial function and the oxidative stress and antioxidant status were determined by using a FRES4 analyzer. In this randomized, crossover, controlled trial, measurements were performed on 2 different days 20 min after the oral administration of 1000 mg of ascorbic acid (VC trial) or a placebo (P trial). Although the FMD values decreased after a single HNB smoking session in both trials, the VC trial showed significantly higher values than the P trial at 60 and 120 min after smoking. Whereas the FMD values 120 min after smoking in the P trial were lower compared to the Pre values, there was no difference in the VC trial. These results suggested that the ingestion of vitamin C might suppress the decrease in the endothelial function caused by a single HNB smoking.
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