Effect of voluntary exercise on longevity of rats

The purpose of this study was to obtain information regarding the effects of exercise on longevity in rats. The exercise used was voluntary activity wheel running. The runners gradually decreased their running from approximately 4 to approximately 1 mile/day as they aged from 9 to 30 mo. The runners lived slightly but significantly longer than sedentary freely eating controls and sedentary pair-fed controls (1,012 +/- 138 vs. 923 +/- 160 and 928 +/- 186 days) but significantly less long than food-restricted paired-weight sedentary controls (1,113 +/- 150 days). Although the exercise improved survival, it did not result in an extension of life-span. In contrast, the food-restricted paired-weight sedentary rats showed a true increase in life-span. The paired-weight rats also had a significantly reduced incidence of malignancies compared with the other three groups. However, there was no significant difference between the runners and the freely eating or pair-fed sedentary controls in the cause of death. These results provide evidence that exercise improves survival but does not result in an extension of life-span in rats.     

Exercise alters cardiac myosin isozyme distribution in obese Zucker and Wistar rats

Recent evidence suggests that exercise training may significantly increase the expression of the cardiac myosin isozyme V1 in the diabetic heart, a change associated with improved cardiac functional capacity. To test this hypothesis, cardiac myofibrillar adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activity and myosin isozyme profiles were determined in trained and sedentary male hyperinsulinemic obese Zucker (OZT, OZS) and obese Wistar (OWT, OWS) rats. Lean sedentary (LZS, LWS) animals served as age-matched controls. Myofibrillar ATPase activity and the relative quantity of the high-ATPase isozyme V1 was significantly lower in both strains of sedentary obese rats than in the respective lean sedentary controls (P less than 0.05). Both 5 (OZT) and 10 wk (OWT) of moderate treadmill training increased these markers of cardiac myosin biochemistry in the obese animals (P less than 0.05). Thus, endurance exercise training remodels the cardiac isomyosin profile of hyperinsulinemic rats and, in doing so, may enhance cardiac contractility and functional capacity. Such changes may reflect an improvement in glucose availability and utilization in these hearts.     

Effects of chronic swimming training on cardiac sarcolemmal function and composition

Cardiac contractile function is dependent on the integrity and function of the sarcolemmal membrane. Swimming exercise training is known to increase cardiac contractile performance. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether a swimming exercise program would alter sarcolemmal enzyme activity, ion flux, and composition in rat hearts. After approximately 11 wk of exercise training, cardiac myosin and actomyosin Ca2+-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activity was significantly higher in exercised rat hearts than in sedentary control rat hearts. Glycogen content was increased in plantaris and gastrocnemius muscles from exercised animals as was succinic dehydrogenase activity in gastrocnemius muscle of exercised rats in comparison to sedentary rat preparations. Sarcolemmal vesicles were isolated from hearts of exercise-trained and control rats. Sarcolemmal Na+-K+-ATPase and K+-p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities, Na+-Ca2+ exchange, and passive Ca2+ binding did not differ between the two groups. ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake and 5'-nucleotidase activity were elevated in the cardiac sarcolemmal vesicles isolated from exercised animals compared with sedentary control rats. Sarcolemmal phospholipid composition was not altered by the exercise training. Our results demonstrate that swimming training in rats does not affect most parameters of cardiac sarcolemmal function or composition. However, the elevated sarcolemmal Ca2+ pump activity in exercised rats may help to reduce intracellular Ca2+ and augment cardiac relaxation rates. The enhanced 5'-nucleotidase activity may stimulate adenosine production, which could affect myocardial blood flow. The present results further our knowledge on the subcellular response of the heart to swimming training in the rat.     

Interaction between exercise and food restriction: effects on longevity of male rats

Male rats that exercise in running wheels have a longer average survival than freely eating sedentary controls but, in contrast to food-restricted sedentary controls of the same weight, show no extension of maximal life span (J. Appl. Physiol. 59: 826-831, 1985). To test the possibility that exercise may counteract a life-extending effect of decreased availability of energy for certain biological processes such as cell proliferation, we examined the combined effects of exercise and food restriction on longevity of male rats. As before, wheel running improved average length of life, 978 +/- 172 vs. 875 +/- 175 (SD) days, for the sedentary controls (P less than 0.01) without increasing maximal life span. Paired-weight controls, food restricted (approximately 30% below ad libitum) to weight the same as the runners, showed increases in both average (1,056 +/- 144 days) and maximal life span. Food-restricted runners, with intake restricted to the same extent (approximately 30%), had an increased mortality rate over the first approximately 50% of their survival curve up to approximately 900 days of age; their average life span (995 +/- 226) was similar to that of the control group of runners and shorter than that of their paired-weight food-restricted sedentary controls (1,088 +/- 159 days, P less than 0.05). However, after approximately 900 days of age the food-restricted runners' survival became similar to that of the food-restricted sedentary groups, with a comparable increase in maximal life span. Thus the exercise did not counteract the increase in maximal life span induced by food restriction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effect of endurance swimming on rat cardiac myofibrillar ATPase with experimental diabetes

Diabetes is characterized by depressed cardiac functional properties attributed to Ca2+-activated ATPase activity. In contrast, endurance swimming enhances the cardiac functional properties and Ca2+-activated myofibril ATPase. Thus, the purpose of this study was to observe if the changes associated with experimental diabetes can be ameliorated with training. Diabetes was induced with a single i.v. injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). Blood and urine glucose concentrations were 802 +/- 44 and 6965 +/- 617 mg/dL, respectively. The training control and training diabetic animals were made to swim (+/- 2% body weight) 4 days/week for 8 weeks. Cardiac myofibril, at 10 microM free Ca2+ concentration was reduced by 54% in the sedentary diabetics compared with sedentary control animals (p less than 0.05). Swim training enhanced the Ca2+-activated myofibril ATPase activities for the normal animals. The diabetic animals, which swam for 8 weeks, had further reduced their Ca2+-activated myofibril ATPase activity when compared with sedentary diabetics (p less than 0.05). Similarly, the Mg2+-stimulated myofibril ATPase activity was depressed by 31% in diabetics following endurance swimming. It is concluded that the depressed Ca2+-activated myofibril ATPase activity of diabetic hearts is not reversible with endurance swimming.     

Time dependent response of cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity to exercise

1. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the time course of run training effects on the Ca2+ kinetics of the cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity in female Sprague-Dawley rats. 2. The cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity was measured at varying Ca2+ levels, and the Hill-n and pCa50 were measured in the hearts of rats after 3, 6 and 9 weeks of running training with a training program that began with an initially high intensity (HINT) and a training program with a more progressive increase in intensity (PROG). 3. After 3 and 6 weeks of training cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity in the hearts of the trained rats in both training programs was elevated by 28-40% over the control group (P less than 0.05) at a pCa5 but was not different from the control groups after 9 weeks of training (P greater than or equal to 0.05). 4. Also the Ca2+ co-operativity as measured by the Hill-n was elevated in the hearts of the trained rats after 6 and 9 weeks of training when compared to control groups suggesting changes in the regulatory proteins of the myofibrils of hearts from trained rats. 5. The elevations in cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity suggest that the myocardium responded to the training stimulus in a phasic manner. 6. The regression of cardiac myofibrillar ATPase in the late weeks of training might be related to a reduction or a loss of a specific training stimulus for the myocardium.     

白细胞介素-2对大鼠心肌Ca2+ATPase和Na+ /K+ATPase的影响

为了探讨IL－2对心肌细胞内钙影响的可能机制,用光学法检测心肌肌浆网Ca^2 ATPase的活性,以及细胞膜Ca^2 ATPase和Na^ /K^ ATPase的活性。结果：（1）用IL－2（10、40、200、800U/ml）灌流心脏后,其肌浆网Ca^2 ATPase的活性随IL－2浓度的升高而增强;（2）在ATP浓度为0.1-4mmol/L时,Ca^2 ATPase的活性随ATP浓度的升庙则增强,由IL－2（200U／ml）灌流后的心脏获得肌浆网（SR）,其Ca^2 ATPase的活性对ATP的反应强于对照组;（3）在[Ca^2 ]为1－40μmol/L时,心脏SR Ca^2 ATPase的活性随[Ca^2 ]增加而增强,而IL－2灌流心脏后分离的SR,其Ca^2 ATPase活性在[Ca^2 ]升高时没有明显改变;（4）用nor-BNI(10nmol/L）预处理5min后,IL－2（200U／ml）灌流后不再使SR Ca^2 ATPase的活性增强;（5）用PTX（5mg/L）预处理后,IL－2对SR Ca^2 ATPase的影响减弱;（6）用磷脂酶C（PLC）抑制剂U73122（5μmol/L）处理后,IL－2不再使SR Ca^2 ATPase活性增高;（7）用IL－2直接处理从正常大鼠分离的SR后,对SR Ca^2 ATPase活性无明显影响;（8）IL－2灌流后,对心肌细胞膜Ca^2 ATPase和Na^ /K^ ATPase活性没有显著。上述结果表明,IL－2灌流心脏后使心肌肌浆网Ca^2 ATPase的活性增加,心肌细胞膜上的κ－阿片受体及其下游的G蛋白和PLC介导了IL－2的作用。尽管IL－2提高SR Ca^2 ATPase对ATP的反应性,但却抑制SR Ca^2 ATPase对钙离子的敏感性。IL－2对心肌细胞膜Ca^2 ATPase和Na^ /K^ ATPase的活性无明显影响。     

Biochemical adaptation of cardiac and skeletal muscle to physical activity.

1. Female Wistar rats were randomly assigned to control (C) or exercising (T) groups and subsequently portioned into 1, 3, 5 and 10 day T and C groups. The T groups completed a progressive endurance running program. Biochemical indices of adaptation were measured in cardiac muscle and in plantaris and soleus muscles of C and T animals after their last exercise bout. 2. In cardiac muscle, myofibrillar ATPase activity was significantly elevated in the 3T (0.241 +/- 0.031) and 5T (0.242 +/- 0.013) groups (P less than or equal to 0.05) compared to their respective controls (3C = 0.187 +/- 0.015 and 5C = 0.190 +/- 0.007). 3. After 10 days of training cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity was elevated by 17% but this was not significant (P greater than or equal to 0.05). 4. No changes in myofibrillar ATPase activity were seen in skeletal muscle (P greater than or equal to 0.05), however, hexokinase activity progressively increased and was significantly elevated in the 3T, 5T and 10T soleus and plantaris muscles of rats over controls (P less than or equal to 0.05). 5. Minimal nonsignificant changes were noted in the hexokinase activity of the hearts of all T groups (P greater than or equal to 0.05). 6. These results indicate that metabolic adaptation of the heart and skeletal muscles takes place after as little as three training sessions. 7. Although the adaptation of the skeletal muscles continually progresses, the adaptation of the heart appears to be transitory.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning is preserved in food-restricted senescent rats

Ischemic preconditioning (PC) has been proposed as an endogenous form of protection against-ischemia reperfusion injury. We have shown that PC does not prevent postischemic dysfunction in the aging heart. This phenomenon could be due to the reduction of cardiac norepinephrine release, and it has also been previously demonstrated that age-related decrease of norepinephrine release from cardiac adrenergic nerves may be restored by caloric restriction. We investigated the effects on mechanical parameters of PC against 20 min of global ischemia followed by 40 min of reperfusion in isolated hearts from adult (6 mo) and "ad libitum"-fed and food-restricted senescent (24 mo) rats. Norepinephrine release in coronary effluent was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Final recovery of percent developed pressure was significantly improved after PC in adult hearts versus unconditioned controls (85.2 +/- 19% vs. 51.5 +/- 10%, P < 0.01). The effect of PC on developed pressure recovery was absent in ad libitum-fed rats, but it was restored in food-restricted senescent hearts (66.6 +/- 13% vs. 38.3 +/- 11%, P < 0.05). Accordingly, norepinephrine release significantly increased after PC in both adult and in food-restricted senescent hearts, and depletion of myocardial norepinephrine stores by reserpine abolished the PC effect in both adult and in food-restricted senescent hearts. We conclude that PC reduces postischemic dysfunction in the hearts from adult and food-restricted but not in ad libitum-fed senescent rats. Despite the possibility of multiple age-related mechanisms, the protection afforded by PC was correlated with increased norepinephrine release, and it was blocked by reserpine in both adult and food-restricted senescent hearts. Thus caloric restriction may restore PC in the aging heart probably via increased norepinephrine release.     

Mitogenic response of T-lymphocytes to exercise training and stress

The impact of exercise training and stress on the immune response was examined by measuring the mitogenic response of spleen lymphocytes to the T-cell mitogen concanavalin A (Con-A). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: sedentary controls (n = 11), handled controls (n = 12), treadmill runners (n = 10), and voluntary runners (n = 11) housed in running wheels. The treadmill group ran at 22 m/min (0.8 mph) for 45 min, 5 days/wk for 8 wk. After the training period, spleen lymphocytes isolated from each rat were incubated with Con-A for 54 h, pulsed with radiolabeled thymidine for 18 h, and counted for tritium activity. Counts per minute per group (means +/- SE) were as follows: sedentary, 6,839 +/- 1,461; handled, 8,959 +/- 1,576; voluntary runners, 13,126 +/- 2,069; and treadmill runners, 18,950 +/- 5,975. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey's highly significant difference test found the counts per minute of the treadmill runners to be significantly different from the counts per minute of the sedentary animals. These results indicate that the responsiveness of spleen lymphocytes to Con-A increases as the level of stress and exercise increases.     

Patellar tendon matrix changes associated with aging and voluntary exercise

Male rats maintained under constant environmental conditions were randomly assigned to nonrunner (NR) and voluntary exercise (R) groups. At 9 mo, voluntary exercise significantly increased muscle cytochrome c concentration and citrate synthase activity. Also, at the same age, R animals had significantly greater glycosaminoglycan concentration than NR, but no changes in dry weight and collagen concentration were significant. By age 28 mo, the R groups had reduced daily running by 70%, and elevation of tendon glycosaminoglycans relative to NR animals was no longer statistically significant. A similar trend was noted for muscle mitochondrial markers. Aging significantly decreased tendon glycosaminoglycans and increased collagen concentration. Although aging reduced the total amount of voluntary exercise, the concentration of tendon glycosaminoglycans in 28-mo-old runners was equivalent to levels in 9-mo-old sedentary rats, suggesting that voluntary exercise slowed the decline in galactosamine-containing glycosaminoglycans with aging.     

Mortality rate and longevity of food-restricted exercising male rats: a reevaluation

Holloszy, John O. Mortality rate and longevity offood-restricted exercising male rats: a reevaluation.J. Appl. Physiol. 82(2): 399-403, 1997.Food restriction increases the maximal longevity of rats. Malerats do not increase their food intake to compensate for the increasein energy expenditure in response to exercise. However, a decrease inthe availability of energy for growth and cell proliferation thatinduces an increase in maximal longevity in sedentary rats only resultsin an improvement in average survival, with no extension of maximallife span, when caused by exercise. In a previous study (J. O. Holloszyand K. B. Schechtman. J. Appl. Physiol. 70: 1529-1535, 1991), totest the possibility that exercise prevents the extension of life spanby food restriction, wheel running and food restriction were combined.The food-restricted runners showed the same increase in maximal lifespan as food-restricted sedentary rats but had an increased mortalityrate during the first one-half of their mortality curve. The purpose ofthe present study was to determine the pathological cause of thisincreased early mortality. However, in contrast to our previousresults, the food-restricted wheel-running rats in this study showed no increase in early mortality, and their survival curves were virtually identical to those of sedentary animals that were food restricted so asto keep their body weights the same as those of the runners. Thus it ispossible that the rats in the previous study had a health problem thathad no effect on longevity except when both food restriction andexercise were superimposed on it. Possibly of interest in this regard,the rats in this study did considerably more voluntary running thanthose in the previous study. It is concluded that1) moderate caloric restrictioncombined with exercise does not normally increase the early mortalityrate in male rats, 2) exercise doesnot interfere with the extension of maximal life span by foodrestriction, and 3) the beneficialeffects of food restriction and exercise on survival are not additiveor synergistic.

     

Voluntary exercise protects against acute doxorubicin cardiotoxicity in the isolated perfused rat heart

The clinical use of doxorubicin (DOX) is limited by a dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether voluntary exercise training would confer protection against DOX cardiotoxicity in the isolated perfused rat heart. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to standard holding cages or cages with running wheels for 8 wk. Twenty-four hours after the sedentary (SED) or voluntary exercise (VEX) running period, rats were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium, and hearts were isolated and perfused with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit (KH) buffer at a constant flow of 15 ml/min. After a 20-min stabilization period, hearts were paced at 300 beats per minute and perfused with KH buffer containing 10 microM DOX for 60 min. A set of control hearts from SED and VEX rats were perfused under identical conditions without DOX for the same period. DOX perfusion led to significant decreases in left ventricular developed pressure, +dP/dt, and -dP/dt, and significant increases in LV lipid peroxidation in sedentary rats compared with non-DOX controls (P < 0.05). Prior voluntary exercise training attenuated these DOX-induced effects and was associated with a significant increase (78%, P < 0.05) in heat shock protein (HSP72), but not mitochondrial isoform of SOD (MnSOD) or CuZnSOD protein expression in the hearts of wheel-run animals. These data indicate that chronic physical activity may provide resistance against the cardiac dysfunction and oxidative damage associated with DOX exposure and provide novel evidence of HSP72 induction in the heart after voluntary exercise.     

Exercise by lifelong voluntary wheel running reduces subsarcolemmal and interfibrillar mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide production in the heart

Evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidant production, in association with an accumulation of oxidative damage, contribute to the aging process. Regular physical activity can delay the onset of morbidity, increase mean lifespan, and reduce the risk of developing several pathological states. No studies have examined age-related changes in oxidant production and oxidative stress in both subsarcolemmal (SSM) and interfibrillar (IFM) mitochondria in combination with lifelong exercise. Therefore, we investigated whether long-term voluntary wheel running in Fischer 344 rats altered hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production, antioxidant defenses, and oxidative damage in cardiac SSM and IFM. At 10-11 wk of age, rats were randomly assigned to one of two groups: sedentary and 8% food restriction (sedentary; n = 20) or wheel running and 8% food restriction (runners; n = 20); rats were killed at 24 mo of age. After the age of 6 mo, running activity was maintained at an average of 1,145 +/- 248 m/day. Daily energy expenditure determined by doubly labeled water technique showed that runners expended on average approximately 70% more energy per day than the sedentary rats. Long-term voluntary wheel running significantly reduced H2O2 production from both SSM (-10.0%) and IFM (-9.6%) and increased daily energy expenditure (kJ/day) significantly in runners compared with sedentary controls. Additionally, MnSOD activity was significantly lowered in SSM and IFM from wheel runners, which may reflect a reduction in mitochondrial superoxide production. Activities of the other major antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase and catalase) and glutathione levels were not altered by wheel running. Despite the reduction in mitochondrial oxidant production, no significant differences in oxidative stress levels (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-modified proteins, protein carbonyls, and malondialdehyde) were detected between the two groups. The health benefits of chronic exercise may be, at least partially, due to a reduction in mitochondrial oxidant production; however, we could not detect a significant reduction in several selected parameters of oxidative stress.     

Biochemical characterization of exercise-trained porcine myocardium.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether cardiac biochemical adaptations are induced by chronic exercise training (ET) of miniature swine. Female Yucatan miniature swine were trained on a treadmill or were cage confined (C) for 16-22 wk. After training, the ET pigs had increased exercise tolerance, lower heart rates during exercise at submaximal intensities, moderate cardiac hypertrophy, increased coronary blood flow capacity, and increased oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle. Myosin from both the C and ET hearts was 100% of the V3 isozyme, and there were no differences between the myosin adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) or myofibrillar ATPase activities of C and ET hearts. Also, the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase activity and Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange activity of sarcolemmal vesicles were the same in cardiac muscle of C and ET hearts. Finally, the glycolytic and oxidative capacity of ET cardiac muscle was not different from control, since phosphofructokinase, citrate synthase, and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activities were the same in cardiac tissue from ET and C pigs. We conclude that endurance exercise training does not provide sufficient stress on the heart of a large mammal to induce changes in any of the three major cardiac biochemical systems of the porcine myocardium: the contractile system, the Ca2+ regulatory systems, or the metabolic system.     

Modification of subcellular organelles in pressure-overloaded heart by etomoxir, a carnitine palmitoyltransferase I inhibitor.

To examine the signals regulating cardiac growth and molecular structure of subcellular organelles, cardiac hypertrophy was induced in rats by constriction of the abdominal aorta for 12-13 wk or by treatment with a carnitine palmitoyltransferase I inhibitor, etomoxir (12-15 mg/kg body wt) for 12-13 wk. In contrast to pressure overload, etomoxir redistributed the myosin isozyme population from V3 to V1 and increased the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase activity. When rats with pressure-overloaded hearts were treated with etomoxir, the cardiac hypertrophy was increased whereas the shift in myosin isozymes from V1 to V3 was prevented and the depression in SR Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase activity was reversed. Plasma thyroid hormone and insulin concentrations were not altered but triglyceride concentrations were reduced in etomoxir-treated rats with pressure overload. The data demonstrate a dissociation between cardiac muscle growth and changes in subcellular organelles and indicate that a shift in myocardial substrate utilization may represent an important signal for molecular remodeling of the heart.     

Effects of training on biochemical and functional properties of rodent neonatal heart

This study was undertaken to determine biochemical and functional (in vivo) adaptations of the rodent neonatal heart in response to a training program of endurance running. Ten day-old rats were progressively trained on a treadmill (final intensity, 21 m/min, 30% grade, 1 h/day) until 75 days of age. The training program induced 14, 57, and 24% increases in relative heart mass, skeletal muscle citrate synthase activity, and whole-body maximal O2 uptake, respectively (P less than 0.05). Cardiac myosin (ATPase) and Ca2+-regulated myofibril ATPase were both reduced by approximately 15% in trained vs. sedentary animals (P less than 0.05). In the majority of trained hearts examined, the myosin isozyme profile reflected an estimated 14 +/- 3% shift toward the V3 or low ATPase isozyme. Left ventricular functional indices during submaximal exercise, derived from a fluid-filled indwelling cannula, indicated that the trained animals maintained similar left ventricular (LV) systolic pressure, LV + the time derivative of pressure, and systemic arterial mean blood pressure compared with their sedentary counterparts. These functional parameters were maintained even though the trained animals performed with lower submaximal exercise heart rate. These findings suggest that maximal exercise capacity can be enhanced in neonatal rats even though the biochemical potential for ATP degradation in the cardiac contractile system is lowered. We speculate that the trend to maintain the myosin isozyme pattern further in the direction of the V3 isozyme in the trained neonatal rat heart may reflect a means to economize cross-bridge cycling while maintaining normal levels of ventricle performance at a given submaximal work load.     

Chronic and acute exercise do not alter Ca2+ regulatory systems and ectonucleotidase activities in rat heart.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of chronic and acute exercise on the main components involved in excitation-contraction coupling and relaxation in rat heart. Sixty male Wistar rats were divided into a sedentary (S) and three 12-wk treadmill-trained groups (T-1, moderate intensity; T-2, high intensity; T-3, interval running). After 12-wk, 15 rats from the S group and 15 rats from the T-2 group were subjected to a single treadmill-exercise session until exhaustion before being killed at 0, 24, or 48 h (acute exercise). The remaining animals were killed 48 h after the last standard exercise session (chronic exercise). The efficacy of the training programs was confirmed by an increase in treadmill endurance time and in skeletal muscle citrate synthase activity. None of the exercise programs modified heart weight or cardiac oxidative capacity. [(3)H]PN200-110 and [(3)H]ryanodine binding to cardiac homogenates indicated that the density of L-type and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) channels was the same in S and trained rats. The SR Ca(2+)-ATPase activity was also unmodified. Finally, the activities of the ectoenzymes Mg(2+)-ATPase and 5'-nucleotidase, which are involved in degradation of extracellular nucleotides, were not affected by either of the running programs. After the acute exercise session, no changes were detected in either of the tested parameters in heart homogenates of S and T-2 animals. We conclude that neither treadmill-exercise training for 12 wk nor exhaustive exercise alters the density of Ca(2+) channels involved in excitation-contraction coupling or the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase and the ectonucleotidase activities in rat heart.     

Effect of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids on contractile function of hearts isolated from sedentary and trained rats

Moderate physical training induced a decrease in arterial blood pressure in fish oil-fed rats as compared to sunflower seed oil-fed rats. The purpose of this study was to determine if these changes were due to modifications of the left ventricular function of the heart. Forty rats were fed a semi-purified diet containing either 10% sunflower seed oil or 10% fish oil (EPAX 3000TG, Pronova). Each dietary group was assigned to two sub-groups, one being constituted by sedentary animals and the other by trained animals. Training was achieved by daily running for 60 minutes at moderate intensity for three weeks. At the end of the training period, the animals were sacrificed and their hearts were immediately perfused according to the working mode. The phospholipid fatty acid composition and parameters of the left ventricular function were determined. Feeding fish oil markedly reduced the proportion of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, 18:2 n-6, 20:4 n-6, 22:4 n-6 and 22:5 n-6) in cardiac phospholipids. The n-6 PUFA were replaced by n-3 PUFA (mainly docosahexaenoic acid). In sedentary animals, the fluid dynamic (aortic and coronary flow, cardiac output) was not modified by the diet. The heart rate was reduced (-10%) in n-3 PUFA-rich hearts. Physical training did not markedly alter the polyunsaturated fatty acid profile of cardiac phospholipids. Conversely, it reduced the heart rate, aortic flow and cardiac output (-11, -21 and -14%, respectively) at a similar extent in the two dietary groups. In a second set of experiments, the training period was repeated in animals fed a commercially available diet (A103, UAR) which simultaneously provided n-6 and n-3 fatty acids. In these dietary conditions, neither the aortic flow nor the heart rate was decreased by physical exercise. These results suggest that both n-6 and n-3 PUFA in the diet are necessary to ensure a good cardiac adaptation to moderate physical training. Furthermore, the fish oil-induced decrease in arterial blood pressure in trained animals was not related to changes in cardiac contractility, but to a decrease in vascular resistances. Moderate physical training + dietary n-3 PUFA might be used to prevent hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.