Effects of High-Intensity Resistance Training and Aerobic Exercise on Expression of ABCG4, ABCG5 and ABCG8 Genes in Female Athletes

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. High level of plasma lipids including cholesterol and triglycerides is one of the most important risk factors of atherosclerosis. Previous studies have shown that three members of the ATP-binding cassette, subfamily G (ABCG4, ABCG5 and ABCG8) are involved in transporting sterols across membranes. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) and aerobic exercise (AE) on expression of the ABCG4, ABCG5 and ABCG8 genes in female athletes.

Twenty-four female athletes from the Khorasan Province (Iran) were randomly selected and assigned into three groups: control (N=8), AE (N=8) and HIRT (N=8). The subjects in the HIRT group and the AE group performed exercise at intensity of 75-80% of 1-repetion maximum and 75-80% of maximum heart rate, respectively. Blood samples were collected at baseline and immediately after the exercise session. After isolation of lymphocytes by centrifugation and purification of mRNA, gene expression changes were investigated by Real-Time-PCR. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and the Tukey's test.

Both training protocols significantly increased the expression of ABCG4, ABCG5 and ABCG8 in the subjects (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the expression of these genes between the experimental groups (P>0.05).

A single session of HIRT and AE may have beneficial effects on prevention of atherosclerosis.