Effects of exercise training on cardiac apoptosis in obese rats

• Published in: Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases Vol. 23; no. 6; pp. 566 - 573
• Main Authors: Lee, S.-D, Shyu, W.-C, Cheng, I.-S, Kuo, C.-H, Chan, Y.-S, Lin, Y.-M, Tasi, C.-Y, Tsai, C.-H, Ho, T.-J, Huang, C.-Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.06.2013
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; bcl-2-Associated X Protein - metabolism; Blood Pressure; Cardiovascular; Caspase; Caspase 3 - metabolism; Caspase 9 - metabolism; caspases; Cell death; Echocardiography; exercise; Fas Ligand Protein - metabolism; fas Receptor - metabolism; Fas-Associated Death Domain Protein - metabolism; Heart; Heart - physiopathology; Male; mitochondria; Mitochondria, Heart - metabolism; Obese; obesity; Obesity - physiopathology; Physical activity; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Rats; Rats, Zucker; receptors; therapeutics; tumor necrosis factor-alpha; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism; Western blotting; Heart; Caspase; Obese; Physical activity; Cell death
• ISSN: 0939-4753; 1590-3729
• DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2011.11.002

Abstract Background and Aim The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of exercise training on cardiac apoptotic pathways in obesity. Methods and Results Sixteen lean Zucker rats (LZR) and sixteen obese Zucker rats (OZR) of 5–6 months of age as well as the other sixteen obese rats were subjected to treadmill running exercise for 1 h everyday for 3 months (OZR-EX). After exercise training or sedentary status of the rats, the excised hearts from the three groups were measured by heart weight index, H&E staining, TUNEL assays and Western blotting. Cardiac TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells, the protein levels of TNF alpha, Fas ligand, Fas receptors, Fas-associated death domain (FADD), Bad, Bax, activated caspase 8, activated caspase 9, and activated caspase 3 were higher in OZR than those in LZR. The protein levels of TNF alpha, Fas ligand, Fas receptors, FADD, activated caspase 8, and activated caspase 3 (Fas pathway) and the protein levels of Bad, Bax, Bax-to-Bcl2 ratio, activated caspase 9, and activated caspase 3 (mitochondria pathway) were lower in OZR-EX than those in OZR. Conclusion Cardiac Fas-dependent and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways become more activated in obesity. Exercise training can prevent obesity-activated cardiac Fas-dependent and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways. Our findings demonstrate a new therapeutic effect of exercise training to prevent delirious cardiac Fas-mediated and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in obesity.