Resistance training improves aortic structure in Wistar rats.

Braz J Phys Ther

Setor de Pós-Graduação em Educação Física, Universidade São Judas Tadeu (USJT), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Published: October 2017

AI Article Synopsis

  • This study explored how resistance training affects blood pressure and the structural components of the aortic wall in rats.
  • The rats underwent a 12-week resistance training program, leading to significant increases in their strength and changes in heart and aortic wall structure.
  • The findings suggest that resistance training not only promotes heart enlargement (concentric cardiac hypertrophy) but also enhances the aortic wall's structural integrity, differing from unhealthy adaptations.

Article Abstract

Background: Little information is available on the effects of resistance training on the aortic wall.

Objective: This study aimed to quantify the effects of a resistance-training program on blood pressure and aortic wall structural components.

Methods: Rats (aged three months) were randomized into sedentary group (control group, CG; n=10) or trained group (TG; n=10). The TG rats performed resistance training by climbing a 1.1-m vertical ladder (80° incline) five times a week for 12 weeks, and the CG remained sedentary. The rats were sacrificed and 5mm of the ascending aorta was submitted to histological sections, which were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Picrosirius red, and Verhoeff's elastin, and used for morphometric studies. Left ventricle (LV) hypertrophy was determined by measuring LV wall thickness and LV internal diameter.

Results: The rats had similar repetition maximum before the resistance training. At the end of the resistance training period, the repetition maximum of the TG was 3.04-fold greater than the body weight. In the twelfth month, the left ventricular weight was 15.3% larger in the TG than in the CG, and the left ventricular internal diameter was reduced by 10% in the TG. Rats exposed to resistance training had a significant increase in aortic wall thickness, in both elastic lamina and collagen fibers, and in the thickness of collagen fibrils.

Conclusion: Resistance training induces the development of concentric cardiac hypertrophy and improves the aortic wall components by producing a morphological expression pattern distinct from aortic pathological adaptation.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537473PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bjpt.2017.05.001DOI Listing

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