The evaluation of cardiac changes following endurance training in male Wistar rats

The aim of this study was accurate evaluation of cardiac responses to endurance training using two presented methods of m-mode and weigh in rats، and also evaluation of training induced changes in heart and left ventricular in the proporation of body weight، tibia length and body surface area. 20 male Wistar rats (209–231 g) were selected; they were randomly divided into two groups، and housed in a standard condition. Trained group completed an endurance protocol (14 weeks). The dimensions and weight of heart were measured by ultrasound and balance respectively and were relatively evaluated based on tibia length، body surface area and body weight. Statistical differences between the groups were calculated by independent t test، and the minimal significance level was established at P ≤. 05. The left ventricular end diastole diameter in trained group was significantly more than control group، in compounded parameters، only the FS and SV were significantly different. With normalizing، the differences have become more marked. It seems to assess cardiac adaptations induced by endurance activities، m-mode method is more reliable، in addition to normalization of weight indexes، body weight and BSA which are associated with the energy consumption are proposed.