Search

Background systemic arterial hypertension is the most prevalent cardiovascular disease; physical activity for hypertensive patients is related to several beneficial cardiovascular adaptations. This paper evaluated the effect of water- and land-ergometry exercise sessions on post-exercise hypotension (PEH) of healthy normotensive subjects versus treated or untreated hypertensive patients. Methods Forty-five older women composed three experimental groups: normotensive (N, n = 10), treated hypertensive (TH, n = 15) and untreated hypertensive (UH, n = 20). The physical exercise acute session protocol was performed at 75% of maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) for 45 minutes; systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean (MBP) blood pressure were evaluated at rest, peak and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 minutes after exercise cessation. Additionally, the heart rate variability (HRV) was analyzed by R-R intervals in the frequency domain for the assessment of cardiac autonomic function. Results In both exercise modalities, equivalent increases in SBP were observed from rest to peak exercise for all groups, and during recovery, significant PEH was noted. At 90 minutes after the exercise session, the prevalence of hypotension was significantly higher in water- than in the land-based protocol. Moreover, more pronounced reductions in SBP and DBP were observed in the UH patients compared to TH and N subjects. Finally, exercise in the water was more effective in restoring HRV during recovery, with greater effects in the untreated hypertensive group. Conclusion Our data demonstrated that water-ergometry exercise was able to induce expressive PEH and improve cardiac autonomic modulation in older normotensive, hypertensive treated or hypertensive untreated subjects when compared to conventional land-ergometry. Univ Sao Judas Tadeu, Postgrad Program Phys Educ, Translat Physiol Lab, Sao Paulo, Brazil Univ Sao Judas Tadeu, Postgrad Program Aging, Sao Paulo, Brazil Univ Padua, Dept Med, Sport & Exercise Med Div, Padua, Italy Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Phys Educ, Sao Paulo, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Arts Sci & Humanities, Sao Paulo, Brazil Nove de Julho Univ, Postgrad Biophoton Appl Hlth Sci, Sao Paulo, Brazil Univ Fed Espirito Santo, Dept Physiol Sci, Espirito Santo, Brazil Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo Med Sch, Div Cardiol, Dept Med, Sao Paulo, Brazil Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo Med Sch, Div Cardiol, Dept Med, Sao Paulo, Brazil Web of Science

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Background Paradoxical sleep deprivation activates the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, subsequently interfering with the cardiovascular system. The beneficial effects of resistance training are related to hemodynamic, metabolic and hormonal homeostasis. We hypothesized that resistance training can prevent the cardiac remodeling and dysfunction caused by paradoxical sleep deprivation. Methods Male Wistar rats were distributed into four groups: control (C), resistance training (RT), paradoxical sleep deprivation for 96 hours (PSD96) and both resistance training and sleep deprivation (RT/ PSD96). Doppler echocardiograms, hemodynamics measurements, cardiac histomorphometry, hormonal profile and molecular analysis were evaluated. Results Compared to the C group, PSD96 group had a higher left ventricular systolic pressure, heart rate and left atrium index. In contrast, the left ventricle systolic area and the left ventricle cavity diameter were reduced in the PSD96 group. Hypertrophy and fibrosis were also observed. Along with these alterations, reduced levels of serum testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), as well as increased corticosterone and angiotensin II, were observed in the PSD96 group. Prophylactic resistance training attenuated most of these changes, except angiotensin II, fibrosis, heart rate and concentric remodeling of left ventricle, confirmed by the increased of NFATc3 and GATA-4, proteins involved in the pathologic cardiac hypertrophy pathway. Conclusions Resistance training effectively attenuates cardiac dysfunction and hormonal imbalance induced by paradoxical sleep deprivation. Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Programa Posgrad Interdisciplinar Ciencias Saude, Campus Baixada Santista, Santos, SP, Brazil LAIFE, Lab Interdisciplinar Fisiol & Exercicio, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Psicobiol, Campus Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Bioquim, Campus Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Clin Med, Lab Emergencias Cienicas, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Inst Assistencia Med Servidor Publ Estadual, Programa Posgrad Ciencias Saude, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Med, Disciplina Cardiol, Campus Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Univ Nove Julho, Programa Posgrad Ciencias Reabilitacao, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Univ Nove Julho, Programa Posgradao Biofoton Aplicada Ciencias, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Biociencias, Campus Baixada Santista, Santos, SP, Brazil Programa de Pós-Graduação Interdisciplinar em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista, Santos-SP, Brazil Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus São Paulo, São Paulo-SP, Brazil Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus São Paulo, São Paulo-SP, Brazil Departamento de Medicina, Disciplina de Cardiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus São Paulo, São Paulo-SP, Brazil Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista, Santos-SP, Brazil Laboratório Interdisciplinar em Fisiologia e Exercício, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil FAPESP: 2013/00152-5 Web of Science

Previous studies have suggested that exercise improves renal and cardiac functions in patients with chronic kidney disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term aerobic swimming exercise with overload on renal and cardiac function in rats with 5/6 nefrectomy (5/6Nx). Eight Wistar rats were placed into 4 groups: Control (C), Control+Exercise (E), Sedentary 5/6Nx (NxS) and 5/6Nx+Exercise (NxE). The rats were subjected to swimming exercise sessions with overload for 30 min five days per week for five weeks. Exercise reduced the effect of 5/6Nx on creatinine clearance compared to the NxS group. In addition, exercise minimized the increase in mean proteinuria compared to the NxS group (96.9±10.0 vs. 51.4±9.9 mg/24 h; p

BACKGROUND: Cardiac cell transplantation is compromised by low cell retention and poor graft viability. Here, the effects of co-injecting adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) with biopolymers on cell cardiac retention, ventricular morphometry and performance were evaluated in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: 99mTc-labeled ASCs (1x10(6) cells) isolated from isogenic Lewis rats were injected 24 hours post-MI using fibrin a, collagen (ASC/C), or culture medium (ASC/M) as vehicle, and cell body distribution was assessed 24 hours later by gamma-emission counting of harvested organs. ASC/F and ASC/C groups retained significantly more cells in the myocardium than ASC/M (13.8+/-2.0 and 26.8+/-2.4% vs. 4.8+/-0.7%, respectively). Then, morphometric and direct cardiac functional parameters were evaluated 4 weeks post-MI cell injection. Left ventricle (LV) perimeter and percentage of interstitial collagen in the spare myocardium were significantly attenuated in all ASC-treated groups compared to the non-treated (NT) and control groups (culture medium, fibrin, or collagen alone). Direct hemodynamic assessment under pharmacological stress showed that stroke volume (SV) and left ventricle end-diastolic pressure were preserved in ASC-treated groups regardless of the vehicle used to deliver ASCs. Stroke work (SW), a global index of cardiac function, improved in ASC/M while it normalized when biopolymers were co-injected with ASCs. A positive correlation was observed between cardiac ASCs retention and preservation of SV and improvement in SW post-MI under hemodynamic stress. CONCLUSIONS: We provided direct evidence that intramyocardial injection of ASCs mitigates the negative cardiac remodeling and preserves ventricular function post-MI in rats and these beneficial effects can be further enhanced by administering co-injection of ASCs with biopolymers.

Background Cell therapy approaches for biologic cardiac repair hold great promises, although basic fundamental issues remain poorly understood. In the present study we examined the effects of timing and routes of administration of bone marrow cells (BMC) post-myocardial infarction (MI) and the efficacy of an injectable biopolymer scaffold to improve cardiac cell retention and function. Methodology/Principal Findings 99mTc-labeled BMC (6×106 cells) were injected by 4 different routes in adult rats: intravenous (IV), left ventricular cavity (LV), left ventricular cavity with temporal aorta occlusion (LV+) to mimic coronary injection, and intramyocardial (IM). The injections were performed 1, 2, 3, or 7 days post-MI and cell retention was estimated by γ-emission counting of the organs excised 24 hs after cell injection. IM injection improved cell retention and attenuated cardiac dysfunction, whereas IV, LV or LV* routes were somewhat inefficient (

Elevated concentrations of testosterone and its synthetic analogs may induce changes in cardiovascular function. However, the effects of the combination of anabolic/androgenic steroid (AAS) treatment and exercise training on systolic and diastolic cardiac function are poorly understood. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of low-dose steroid treatment (stanozolol) on cardiac contractile parameters when this steroid treatment was combined with exercise training in rats and the effects of chronic steroid treatment on the Frank-Starling (length-tension curves) relationship. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to one of four groups: U (untrained), US (untrained and treated with stanozolol 5 mg/kg/week), T (trained, 16 m/min/1 h) and TS (trained and treated with stanozolol 5 mg/kg/week). Continuous exercise training was conducted 5 days/week for 8 consecutive weeks. The speed of the treadmill was gradually increased to a final setting of 16 m/min/1 h. Experiments were divided into two independent series: 1) central hemodynamic analysis for mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and cardiac output (CO) measurements and 2) isolated papillary muscle preparation in Krebs solution. Stanozolol treatment significantly increased the MAP and the heart size in untrained and trained rats (U 113±2; T 106±2; US 138±8 and TS 130±7 mmHg). Furthermore, stanozolol significantly decreased developed tension and dT/dt (maximal and minimal) in U rats. However, the developed tension was completely restored by training. The Frank/Starling relationship was impaired in rats treated with stanozolol; however, again, training completely restored diastolic function. Taken together, the present data suggest that AAS treatment is able to decrease cardiac performance (systolic and diastolic functions). The combination of stanozolol and physical training improved cardiac performance, including diastolic and systolic functions, independent of changes in central hemodynamic parameters. Therefore, changes in ventricular myocyte calcium transients may play a cardioprotective role.