Exercise Prevents Hypertension and Disrupts the Correlation Between Vascular Sympathetic Activity and Age-Related Increase in Blood Pressure in SHRs

BACKGROUND Hypertension usually accompanies the elevated sympathetic activity and sleep interruption. Few researches explored the dynamic changes and possible correlations in cardiovascular functions and sleep patterns during the development of hypertension. In contrast, exercise training provides several benefits on cardiovascular and sleep function in hypertensive subjects. However, controlling various factors during a long period of exercise training is difficult in hypertensive subjects, an animal model may be essential. This study aimed to explore dynamic changes in cardiovascular functions and sleep patterns during the development period of hypertension (10–20 weeks old) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and effects of exercise intervention. METHODS We used the treadmill exercise model for 8 weeks and started when SHRs were 12 weeks old. Electroencephalogram, electromyogram, electrocardiogram, and blood pressure (BP) were recorded simultaneously for 24 hours once a week over 11 weeks. RESULTS Untrained SHRs revealed the age-related increments in BP, and the significant increasing slopes of differences on BP and vascular sympathetic activity were observed during the development period of hypertension. Compared with untrained rats, age-related increases in BP and vascular sympathetic activity were significantly suppressed in trained SHRs. Nevertheless, trained SHRs showed more quiet sleep time at partial weeks. The positive correlation between the differences from 10 weeks of vascular sympathetic activity and BP was disappeared in trained SHRs. CONCLUSIONS There existed the significant correlation between the dynamic changes of vascular sympathetic activity and age-related elevation of BP during the development period of hypertension; however, exercise prevented hypertension and disrupted this correlation.