Comparison of Continuous and Non-Continuous Aerobic Exercise on Serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Endostatin in Rats with Coronary Artery Disease

Physical activities are associated with a decreased risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), which is one of the widespread Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs).

The present study aimed to compare the effects of continuous and non-continuous aerobic exercises on serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and Endostatin (ES) in rats with coronary artery disease.

In this study, 40 healthy male Wistar rats (age: two months, weight: 200 - 250 g) were divided into continuous and non-continuous aerobic exercises with Myocardial Infarction (MI), control, and sham groups. After treatment of the rats by Isoproterenol (ISO), the experimental groups underwent continuous and non-continuous aerobic exercises on a treadmill for eight weeks. The means of the variables were compared using ANOVA. Moreover, Scheffe’s post hoc test was used to clarify the exact zones of differences in the SPSS 21 software (P ≤ 0.05).

The results demonstrated that both continuous and non-continuous aerobic exercises increased VEGF in comparison to the control group (P = 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed between the experimental groups and the control group with respect to ES (P = 0.09).

Continuous and non-continuous aerobic exercises could increase angiogenesis in coronary artery disease. Moreover, both methods might have the same positive effect on rehabilitation of patients with MI. Therefore, such exercises could be used as a complementary treatment alongside medications for MI patients.