Physical training ameliorates chronic alcohol-induced hypertension and aortic reactivity in rats.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the interactive effect of physical training and chronic ethanol ingestion on changes in blood pressure (BP) and aortic reactivity response in rats.


METHODS
Male Fisher rats were divided into four groups of seven animals each and treated as follows: (i) control (5% sucrose, orally) daily for 12 weeks; (ii) ethanol (4 g kg(-1), orally) daily for 12 weeks; (iii) exercise training on treadmill followed by sucrose daily for 12 weeks; (iv) exercise training on treadmill followed by ethanol daily for 12 weeks. The body weight and BP were recorded every week. The animals were anaesthetized with pentobarbital after 12 weeks; blood and thoracic aorta were isolated and analysed for ethanol and reactivity response using tissue bath technique, respectively.


RESULTS
The data show that exercise training significantly lowered the weight gain 6-12 weeks in ethanol-treated rats compared to ethanol alone or control rats. The systolic and mean BP significantly elevated 6-12 weeks, whereas diastolic BP elevated 8-12 weeks after ethanol ingestion. Exercise training lowered the BP close to the normal control values in ethanol fed rats. Blood ethanol level significantly elevated in ethanol group but decreased in exercise plus alcohol group. Aortic contractile response to phenylephrine in ethanol or control groups was attenuated by training with or without intact endothelium. Ethanol significantly reduced the aortic relaxation response to acetylcholine whereas training enhanced the relaxation response with intact endothelium. The relaxation responses to adenosine and sodium nitroprusside in the aortic ring segments of rats with or without endothelium were decreased in ethanol group which were attenuated by exercise training.


CONCLUSIONS
Physical training attenuates the chronic ethanol-induced hypertension via reduction of body weight, clearance of ethanol, and augmentation of the aortic endothelial relaxation response in rats.
Department of Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ponce School of Medicine, PO Box 7004, Ponce, PR. khusain@psm.edu
Kazim
K
Husain
Manuel
M
Vazquez Ortiz
Jainarine
J
Lalla
D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D006973:Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D000431:Ethanol