Enhancement of vasorelaxation in hypertension following high-intensity exercise

Chin J Physiol. 2011 Apr 30;54(2):87-95. doi: 10.4077/cjp.2011.amm011.

Abstract

Exercise can ameliorate vascular dysfunction in hypertension, but its underlying mechanism has not been explored thoroughly. We aimed to investigate whether the high-intensity exercise could enhance vasorelaxation mediated by insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in hypertension. Sixteen-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats were randomly divided into non-exercise sedentary (SHR) and high-intensity exercise (SHR+Ex) groups conducted by treadmill running at a speed of 30 m/ min until exhaustion. Age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were used as the normotensive control group. Immediately after exercise, the agonist-induced vasorelaxation of aortas was evaluated in organ baths with or without endothelial denudation. Selective inhibitors were used to examine the roles of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) in the vasorelaxation. By adding superoxide dismutase (SOD), a superoxide scavenger, the role of superoxide production in the vasorelaxation was also clarified. We found that, the high-intensity exercise significantly (P < 0.05) induced higher vasorelaxant responses to insulin and IGF-1 in the SHR+Ex group than that in the SHR group; after endothelial denudation and pre-treatment of the PI3K inhibitor, NOS inhibitor, or SOD, vasorelaxant responses to insulin and IGF-1 became similar among three groups; the protein expression of insulin receptor, IGF-1 receptor, and endothelial NOS (eNOS) was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the SHR+Ex group compared with the SHR group;] the relaxation to sodium nitroprusside, a NO donor, was not different among three groups. Our findings suggested that the high-intensity exercise ameliorated the insulin- and IGF-1-mediated vasorelaxation through the endothelium-dependent pathway, which was associated with the reduced level of superoxide production.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aorta / drug effects
  • Aorta / physiology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Endothelium, Vascular / drug effects
  • Endothelium, Vascular / physiology
  • Hypertension / metabolism
  • Hypertension / physiopathology*
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / pharmacology
  • Insulin / pharmacology
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / pharmacology
  • Male
  • Nitric Oxide Donors / pharmacology
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / metabolism
  • Nitroprusside / pharmacology
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism
  • Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred SHR
  • Rats, Inbred WKY
  • Superoxides / metabolism
  • Vasodilation / drug effects
  • Vasodilation / physiology*

Substances

  • Hypoglycemic Agents
  • Insulin
  • Nitric Oxide Donors
  • Superoxides
  • Nitroprusside
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III
  • Nos3 protein, rat
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases