The Effect of Eight Weeks of Moderate Intensity Resistance Training on Cardiac Telomerase Enzyme Content and Activity in Elderly Rats

Age-related physiological disorders and diseases increase the risk of decline in physical functioning. Sedentary lifestyle is associated with the deterioration of cellular aging biomarkers such as telomere length shortening. Telomerase is the main factor for the stability and extension of telomere length. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of eight weeks of resistance training on cardiac telomerase enzyme content andactivity in elderly rats. In this experimental study, 20 male Wistar rats (46 weeks of age) weighing 260 to 310 g were randomly assigned to two groups: the control group and the exercise group. The exercise group performed moderate intensity resistance exercise for 8 weeks, 5 days per week. Two weeks were considered for environment adaptation, biological rhythms and ladder familiarity. After two weeks, the major training protocol began, including three sessions of resistance training per week for eight weeks. 48 hours after the last training session, samples from the heart tissue were collected in fasting state. The PCR-ELISA method was used to measure the activity of telomerase, and the ELISA sandwich method was used to measure the telomerase content. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test. The results showed that the activity (p=0.002) and content (p=0.042) of telomerase enzyme in the training group was significantly higher than the control group. According to the results of this study, it seems that eight weeks of moderate-intensity resistance training can increase the activity and content of telomerase enzyme in the heart tissue of aged rats.