The Effect of Eight Weeks of Continuous Endurance Training on ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 Expression in the Heart Tissue of Rats

The expression of adhesion molecules in the heart tissue is considered as an important indicator in the estimation of coronary artery disease risk. Since physical activity is effective in reducing symptoms of cardiac disease, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of continuous endurance training on ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression in the heart tissue of rats.</span>

In this experimental study, 12 eight weeks male Wistar rats with an average weight of 263±12 g were randomly divided into 2 groups: control (n=6) and exercise (n=6) were divided. The training program included 8 weeks of running on a treadmill with a 70 to 75% VO2max intensity (five days a week and 30 minutes each day). The expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 genes were measured by Real-time PCR and compared in two groups.</span>

The results showed that 8 weeks of continuous endurance training reduced the expression of ICAM-1 in the heart tissue. In comparison, there was a significant difference between the control group (0.29±0.05) and training (0.10±0.03) (p=0.017). In addition, it was shown that the expression of VCAM-1 in the heart tissue significantly increased in training group (0.85±0.04) compared to the control group (0.22±0.03) (p=0.001).

The results of this study showed that continuous endurance training altered the expression of adhesion molecules in heart tissue associated with systemic inflammation, which could be a suitable solution for reducing fat deposits in the heart tissue and preventing its harm.