Atherosclerotic plaques induced by marble-burying behavior are stabilized by exercise training in experimental atherosclerosis

• Published in: International journal of cardiology Vol. 151; no. 3; pp. 284 - 289
• Main Authors: Shimada, Kana, Mikami, Yu, Murayama, Toshinori, Yokode, Masayuki, Fujita, Masatoshi, Kita, Toru, Kishimoto, Chiharu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 15.09.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Apolipoproteins E - deficiency; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis (general aspects, experimental research); Atherosclerosis - etiology; Atherosclerosis - pathology; Atherosclerosis - psychology; Atherosclerotic plaques; Behavioral stress; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular; Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects; Disease Models, Animal; Exercise; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, 129 Strain; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Physical Conditioning, Animal - methods; Physical Conditioning, Animal - physiology; Plaque, Atherosclerotic - etiology; Plaque, Atherosclerotic - pathology; Plaque, Atherosclerotic - psychology; Stress, Psychological - complications; Stress, Psychological - pathology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Behavioral stress; Exercise; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerotic plaques; Vascular disease; Physical exercise; Atherosclerotic plaque; Exercise tolerance test; Cardiovascular disease; Behavior; Cardiology; Stress
• ISSN: 0167-5273; 1874-1754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2010.05.057

Abstract Background We assessed the hypothesis whether behavioral stress may affect the development of atherosclerosis and whether regular exercise training may influence the composition of atherosclerotic plaques in apolipoprotein (apo) E-deficient mice. Methods Atherosclerosis was induced in apo E-deficient mice fed a high fat diet. Exercise training (45 min swimming, 3 times/week) was conducted, and behavioral stress was provoked by glass marble-burying procedure. Mice were treated with marble-burying, marble-burying behavior plus swimming training, and swimming alone over 8 weeks. Results Exercise training decreased the atherosclerotic lesions, but marble-burying behavior increased the lesions. The plaques containing macrophage accumulation with intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression associated with reduced collagen contents were induced in the mice treated with marble-burying. However, ICAM-1 expression was suppressed and collagen contents were reversed in the mice that received marble-burying behavior plus exercise training. In addition, exercise alone and concomitant exercise training reduced the superoxide production in aortic walls, shown by dihydroethidium staining, compared with that in mice with marble-burying behavior alone. There were no significant differences in the serum lipids profiles among the groups. Conclusions Behavioral stress increased the atherosclerotic lesions and induced the adhesion molecule expression with superoxide production on the lesions in apo E-deficient mice. Exercise training may stabilize plaque lesions induced by marble-burying behavior in this animal model.