Cardioprotective Properties of Aerobic and Resistance Training Against Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of aerobic and resistance exercise training on ventricular morphometry and function, physical capacity, autonomic function, as well as on ventricular inflammatory status in trained rats prior to myocardial infarction. Male Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: sedentary+Sham, sedentary+myocardial infarction, aerobic trained+myocardial infarction, and resistance trained+myocardial infarction. Sham and myocardial infarction were performed after training periods. In the days following the surgeries, evaluations were performed. Aerobic training prevents aerobic (to a greater extent) and resistance capacity impairments, ventricular dysfunction, baroreflex sensitivity and autonomic disorders (vagal tonus decrease and sympathetic tonus increase) triggered by myocardial infarction. Resistance training was able to prevent negative changes to aerobic and resistance capacity (to a greater extent) but not to ventricular dysfunction, and it prevented cardiovascular sympathetic increments. Additionally, both types of training reduced left ventricle inflammatory cytokine concentration. Our results suggest that aerobic and, for the first time, dynamic resistance training were able to reduce sympathetic tonus to the heart and vessels, as well as preventing the increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations in the left ventricle of trained groups. These data emphasizes the positive effects of aerobic and dynamic resistance training on the prevention of the negative changes triggered by myocardial infarction.

Differences in intrinsic aerobic capacity alters sensitivity to ischemia-reperfusion injury but not cardioprotective capacity by ischemic preconditioning in rats

“…The favourable phenotype in HCR animals has been linked to longevity, as life expectancy is increased by 45% in HCR compared to LCR [ 18 ]. It may be unexpected that infarct sizes in HCR rats were larger than in LCR rats because cardiac IR injury is usually attenuated in models with exercise-trained animals with high aerobic capacity [ 29 – 32 ]. The high intrinsic aerobic capacity of HCR rats is a result of a primarily genetic phenotype rather than characteristic of the exercise trained animal models [ 33 ].…”

Interval and continuous aerobic exercise training similarly increase cardiac function and autonomic modulation in infarcted mice

“…Mice were anaesthetized (mixture of 0.5%–2% isoflurane and 98% O 2 at a flow rate of 1.5 L/min), and images were obtained with a 160-Hz linear transducer in a SEQUOIA 512 (Acuson Corporation, Mountain View, CA, USA) for measurements of parameters: LV ejection fraction (LVEF %), left ventricular mass (LV mass), LV end-diameter during diastole (LVDD), LV end-diameter during systole, fractional shortening (FS), ejection fraction (EF), absolute isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT); as described in detail elsewhere (Barboza et al, 2016). …”

Exercise Training Plus Sildenafil Treatment: Role on Autonomic and Inflammatory Markers

“…In relation to the protective effects of physical exercise in the inflammatory profile, several studies have demonstrated the decreased inflammatory milieu after exercise training in healthy [26,27] and pathological conditions, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, obesity, cancer [8,26,28,30,37]. Furthermore, other evidence indicates that when physical exercise is performed before an immunological challenge, the induced inflammatory state is lower than when physical exercise is not performed [2]. Thus, data from the current study add evidence and demonstrate that when physical exercise is performed concomitantly with the inflammatory vector, it has a protective effect.…”