Role of 4-week resistance exercise in preserving the heart against ischemia-reperfusion-induced injury

Abstract

We studied the cardioprotective effect of resistance training against ischemia-reperfusion-induced injury. Forty male Wistar rats were divided into trained and sedentary groups (n=20 for each). Trained rats were exercise in squat-training apparatus (12 repetitions/set, 4 sets/day and 5 days/week for 4 weeks). After last training session, transient regional ischemia of left anterior descending coronary artery (40 min) was followed by 80 min of reperfusion. Coronary flow, left ventricular developed and diastolic pressures, infarct size and apoptosis rate were measured. Baseline developed and diastolic pressures and coronary flow were similar in two groups. While diastolic pressure increased and developed pressure and coronary flow decreased both in ischemia and perfusion periods (as indices of cardiac damage), there were no differences between trained and sedentary groups in these parameters statistically. Resistance training did not change the infarct size and apoptosis rate statistically. We did not see cardioprotective effect of resistance exercise against ischemia-reperfusion induced injury in this study. Precise conclusion about this issue needs more investigations.