Gene expression profile and aortic vessel distensibility in voluntarily exercised spontaneously hypertensive rats: potential role of heat shock proteins

• Physical exercise is considered to be beneficial for cardiovascular health. Nevertheless, the underlying specific molecular mechanisms still remain unexplored. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of voluntary exercise on vascular mechanical properties and gene regulation patterns in spontaneously hypertensive rats. By using ultrasound biomicroscopy in an ex vivo perfusion chamber, we studied the distensibility of the thoracic aorta. Furthermore, exercise-induced gene regulation was studied in aortae, using microarray analysis and validated with real-time PCR. We found that distensibility was significantly improved in aortas from exercising compared with control rats (P < 0.0001). Exercising rats demonstrated a striking pattern of coordinated downregulation of genes belonging to the heat shock protein family. In conclusion, voluntary exercise leads to improved vessel wall distensibility and reduced gene expression of heat shock protein 60 and 70, which may indicate decreased oxidative stress in the aortic vascular wall.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Fysiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Physiology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Algorithms

Animals

Aorta

Thoracic/*metabolism

Chaperonin 60/metabolism

DNA Primers/chemistry

DNA

Complementary/metabolism

Down-Regulation

Female

*Gene Expression Profiling

*Gene Expression Regulation

HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism

Heat-Shock Proteins/*metabolism

Immunohistochemistry

Models

Statistical

Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis

Oxidative Stress

Perfusion

*Physical Conditioning

Animal

Polymerase Chain Reaction

RNA/metabolism

Rats

Rats

Inbred SHR

Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)