Sedentary life style and high calorie dietary habits are prominent leading cause of metabolic syndrome in modern world. Obesity plays a central role in occurrence of various diseases like hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, which lead to insulin resistance and metabolic derangements like cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) mediated by oxidative stress. The mortality rate due to CVDs is on the rise in developing countries. Insulin resistance (IR) leads to micro or macro angiopathy, peripheral arterial dysfunction, hampered blood flow, hypertension, as well as the cardiomyocyte and the endothelial cell dysfunctions, thus increasing risk factors for coronary artery blockage, stroke and heart failure suggesting that there is a strong association between IR and CVDs. The plausible linkages between these two pathophysiological conditions are altered levels of insulin signaling proteins such as IR-β, IRS-1, PI3K, Akt, Glut4 and PGC-1α that hamper insulin-mediated glucose uptake as well as other functions of insulin in the cardiomyocytes and the endothelial cells of the heart. Reduced AMPK, PFK-2 and elevated levels of NADP(H)-dependent oxidases produced by activated M1 macrophages of the adipose tissue and elevated levels of circulating angiotensin are also cause of CVD in diabetes mellitus condition. Insulin sensitizers, angiotensin blockers, superoxide scavengers are used as therapeutics in the amelioration of CVD. It evidently becomes important to unravel the mechanisms of the association between IR and CVDs in order to formulate novel efficient drugs to treat patients suffering from insulin resistance-mediated cardiovascular diseases. The possible associations between insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases are reviewed here.

The objective of the present study was to identify metabolic, cardiovascular and autonomic changes induced by fructose overload administered in the drinking water of rats for 8 weeks. Female Wistar rats (200-220 g) were divided into 2 groups: control (N = 8) and fructose-fed rats (N = 5; 100 mg/L fructose in drinking water for 8 weeks). The autonomic control of heart rate was evaluated by pharmacological blockade using atropine (3 mg/kg) and propranolol (4 mg/kg). The animals were submitted to an intravenous insulin tolerance test (ITT) and to blood glucose measurement. The fructose overload induced a significant increase in body weight (~10%) and in fasting glycemia (~28%). The rate constant of glucose disappearance (KITT) during ITT was lower in fructose-fed rats (3.25 ± 0.7%/min) compared with controls (4.95 ± 0.3%/min, P < 0.05) indicating insulin resistance. The fructose-fed group presented increased arterial pressure compared to controls (122 ± 3 vs 108 ± 1 mmHg, P < 0.05) and a reduction in vagal tonus (31 ± 9 vs 55 ± 5 bpm in controls, P < 0.05). No changes in sympathetic tonus were observed. A positive correlation, tested by the Pearson correlation, was demonstrable between cardiac vagal tonus and KITT (r = 0.8, P = 0.02). These data provided new information regarding the role of parasympathetic dysfunction associated with insulin resistance in the development of early metabolic and cardiovascular alterations induced by a high fructose diet.

It is now well established that after menopause cardiometabolic disorders become more common. Recently, resistance exercise has been recommended as a complement to aerobic (combined training, CT) for the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of CT in hypertensive ovariectomized rats undergoing fructose overload in blood pressure variability (BPV), inflammation, and oxidative stress parameters. Female rats were divided into the following groups (n = 8/group): sedentary normotensive Wistar rats (C), and sedentary (FHO) or trained (FHOT) ovariectomized spontaneously hypertensive rats undergoing and fructose overload. CT was performed on a treadmill and ladder adapted to rats in alternate days (8 wk; 40-60% maximal capacity). Arterial pressure (AP) was directly measured. Oxidative stress and inflammation were measured on cardiac and renal tissues. The association of risk factors (hypertension + ovariectomy + fructose) promoted increase in insulin resistance, mean AP (FHO: 174 ± 4 vs. C: 108 ± 1 mmHg), heart rate (FHO: 403 ± 12 vs. C: 352 ± 11 beats/min), BPV, cardiac inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-α-FHO: 65.8 ± 9.9 vs. C: 23.3 ± 4.3 pg/mg protein), and oxidative stress cardiac and renal tissues. However, CT was able to reduce mean AP (FHOT: 158 ± 4 mmHg), heart rate (FHOT: 303 ± 5 beats/min), insulin resistance, and sympathetic modulation. Moreover, the trained rats presented increased nitric oxide bioavailability, reduced tumor necrosis factor-α (FHOT: 33.1 ± 4.9 pg/mg protein), increased IL-10 in cardiac tissue and reduced lipoperoxidation, and increased antioxidant defenses in cardiac and renal tissues. In conclusion, the association of risk factors promoted an additional impairment in metabolic, cardiovascular, autonomic, inflammatory, and oxidative stress parameters and combined exercise training was able to attenuate these dysfunctions.

BackgroundMetabolic syndrome is characterized by the association of 3 or more risk factors, including: abdominal obesity associated with an excess of abdominal fat, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension. Moreover, the prevalence of hypertension and metabolic dysfunctions sharply increases after the menopause. However, the mechanisms involved in these changes are not well understood. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of fructose overload on cardiovascular autonomic modulation, inflammation and cardiac oxidative stress in an experimental model of hypertension and menopause.MethodsFemale SHR rats were divided into (n = 8/group): hypertensive (H), hypertensive ovariectomized (HO) and hypertensive ovariectomized undergoing fructose overload (100 g/L in drinking water) (FHO). Arterial pressure (AP) signals were directly recorded. Cardiac autonomic modulation was evaluated by spectral analysis. Oxidative stress was evaluated in cardiac tissue.ResultsAP was higher in the FHO group when compared to the other groups. Fructose overload promoted an increase in body and fat weight, triglyceride concentration and a reduction in insulin sensitivity. IL-10 was reduced in the FHO group when compared to the H group. TNF-α was higher in the FHO when compared to all other groups. Lipoperoxidation was higher and glutathione redox balance was reduced in the FHO group when compared to other groups, an indication of increased oxidative stress. A negative correlation was found between IL-10 and adipose tissue.ConclusionFructose overload promoted an impairment in cardiac autonomic modulation associated with inflammation and oxidative stress in hypertensive rats undergoing ovarian hormone deprivation.

We investigated whether resistance training (RT) vs. aerobic training (AT) differentially impacts on arterial pressure and related mechanisms in ovariectomized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Female SHRs were ovariectomized and assigned to one of the following groups: sedentary, AT, or RT; sham sedentary SHR were used as control group. AT was performed on a treadmill, whereas RT was performed on a vertical ladder. Both exercise protocols were performed for 8 wk, 5 days/wk. Arterial pressure, baroreflex sensitivity, autonomic modulation, and cardiac oxidative stress parameters (lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, redox balance, NADPH oxidase, and antioxidant enzymes activities) were analyzed. Ovariectomy increased mean arterial pressure (∼9 mmHg), sympathetic modulation (∼40%), and oxidative stress in sedentary rats. Both RT and AT reduced mean arterial pressure (∼20 and ∼8 mmHg, respectively) and improved baroreflex sensitivity compared with sedentary ovariectomized rats. However, RT-induced arterial pressure decrease was significantly less pronounced than AT. Lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation were decreased while antioxidant enzymes were increased in both trained groups vs. sedentaries. The reduced gluthatione was higher after AT vs. other groups, whereas oxidized gluthatione was lower after RT vs. AT. Moreover, sympathetic and parasympathetic modulations were highly correlated with cardiac oxidative stress parameters. In conclusion, both RT and AT can decrease arterial pressure in a model of hypertension and menopause; although, at different magnitudes this decrease was related to attenuated autonomic dysfunction in association with cardiac oxidative stress improvement in both exercise protocols.

The aim of this study was to investigate metabolic and cardiovascular responses to walking in fructose-fed rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into control (C), sedentary fructose (SF) and walking fructose (WF). Fructose-fed rats received D-fructose (100 g/l). WF rats walked on a treadmill at constant load (0.3 km/h) during 1 h/day, 5 days/week for 8 weeks. Measurements of triglyceride concentrations, adipose tissue and glycemia were carried out together with insulin tolerance test to evaluate metabolic profile. Arterial pressure (AP) signals were directly recorded. Baroreflex sensitivity (BR) was evaluated by the reflex tachycardia (TR) and bradycardia (BR) to AP changes. The results showed that walking decreased the adipose tissue (SF: 6.5 ± 0.4; WF: 2.8 ± 0.1; C: 3.0 ± 0.3 g), blood triglyceride levels (SF: 291 ± 6.5; WF: 150 ± 8.1; C: 103 ± 4.5 mg/dl) and increased insulin sensitivity (SF: 2.5 ± 0.2; WF: 3.3 ± 0.32; C: 4.8 ± 0.4 %/min). Baroreflex sensitivity was improved in the WF group expressed by BR (SF: 0.75 ± 0.10; WF: 1.18 ± 0.10; C: 1.5 ± 0.14 ms/mmHg) and TR (SF: 0.80 ± 0.12; WF: 1.21 ± 0.10; C: 1.35 ± 0.11 ms/mmHg), as well as when verified by the alpha index. Although the WF group showed decreased AP when compared with the SF group, the values still enhanced in relation to C rats (SF: 137 ± 2; WF: 129 ± 1; C: 115 ± 6 mmHg). Our findings allow a better understanding of the effects of walking, a low-intensity exercise training, on the hemodynamic and metabolic aspects of male rats with metabolic syndrome and indicate that walking seems to be particularly effective in treating metabolic disturbances in this model.

https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjpp-pubs AbstractA rapid rise in obesity as well as physical inactivity in industrialized countries is associated with fructose consumption-mediated metabolic syndrome having a strong association with cardiovascular disease. Although insulin resistance is thought to be at the core, visceral obesity, hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia are also considered important components of this metabolic disorder. In addition, various other abnormalities such as inflammation, oxidative stress and elevated levels of uric acid are also part of this syndrome. Life style changes through improved physical activity as well as nutrition are important approaches to minimize the metabolic syndrome and its deleterious effects.

IntroductionMuscle injury is common among athletes and amateur practitioners of sports. Following an injury, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) occurs, which can harm healthy muscle fibers (secondary damage) and delay the repair process. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) administered prior to or following an injury has demonstrated positive and protective effects on muscle repair, but the combination of both administration times together has not been clarified.AimTo evaluate the effect of LLLT (660 nm and 780 nm, 10 J/cm², 40 mW, 3.2 J) prior to injury with or without the administration after injury on oxidative stress during the muscle repair process.MethodsWistar rats were divided into following groups: control; muscle injury alone; LLLT 660 nm + injury; LLLT 780 nm + injury; LLLT 660 nm before and after injury; and LLLT 780 nm before and after injury. The rats were euthanized on days 1, 3 and 7 following cryoinjury of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle, which was then removed for analysis.ResultsLipid peroxidation decreased in the 660+injury group after one day. Moreover, red and infrared LLLT employed at both administration times induced a decrease in lipid peroxidation after seven days. CAT activity was altered by LLLT in all periods evaluated, with a decrease after one day in the 780+injury+780 group and after seven days in the 780+injury group as well as an increase in the 780+injury and 780+injury+780 groups after three days. Furthermore, increases in GPx and SOD activity were found after seven days in the 780+injury+780 group.ConclusionThe administration of red and infrared laser therapy at different times positively modulates the activity of antioxidant enzymes and reduces stress markers during the muscle repair process.