No abstract

Capillary rarefaction is hypothesised to contribute to impaired exercise tolerance in cardiovascular disease, but it remains a poorly exploited therapeutic target for improving skeletal muscle performance.  Using an abdominal aortic coarctation rat model of compensatory cardiac hypertrophy, we determine the efficacy of aerobic exercise for the prevention of, and mechanical overload for restoration of hind limb muscle fatigue resistance and microvascular impairment in the early stages of heart disease.  Impaired muscle fatigue resistance was found after development of cardiac hypertrophy, but this impairment was prevented by low intensity aerobic exercise and recovered after mechanical stretch due to muscle overload.  Changes in muscle fatigue resistance were closely related to functional (i.e. perfused) microvascular density, independent of arterial blood flow, emphasising the critical importance of optimal capillary diffusion for skletal muscle function.  Pro-angiogenic therapies are an important tool for improving skeletal muscle function in the incipient stages of heart disease.

No abstract