title: Chronic aerobic exercise training attenuates aortic stiffening and endothelial dysfunction through preserving aortic mitochondrial function in aged rats.
abstract: Aging leads to large vessel arterial stiffening and endothelial dysfunction, which are important determinants of cardiovascular risk. The aim of present work was to assess the effects of chronic aerobic exercise training on aortic stiffening and endothelial dysfunction in aged rats and investigate the underlying mechanism about mitochondrial function. Chronic aerobic exercise training attenuated aortic stiffening with age marked by reduced collagen concentration, increased elastin concentration and reduced pulse wave velocity (PWV), and prevented aging-related endothelial dysfunction marked by improved endothelium-mediated vascular relaxation of aortas in response to acetylcholine. Chronic aerobic exercise training abated oxidative stress and nitrosative stress in aortas of aged rats. More importantly, we found that chronic aerobic exercise training in old rats preserved aortic mitochondrial function marked by reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and mitochondrial swelling, increased ATP formation and mitochondrial DNA content, and restored activities of complexes I and III and electron-coupling capacity between complexes I and III and between complexes II and III. In addition, it was found that chronic aerobic exercise training in old rats enhanced protein expression of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP-2), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α), manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH-2), prohibitin (PHB) and AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in aortas. In conclusion, chronic aerobic exercise training preserved mitochondrial function in aortas, which, at least in part, explained the aorta-protecting effects of exercise training in aging.
authors.affiliation: School of Physical Education, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. Electronic address: guqi20123@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: School of Physical Education, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Chengyang People's Hospital, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chengyang People's Hospital, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The Third People's Hospital of Datong, Datong, Shanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Dong
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Urgery, Yuquan Hospital of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ze
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000378:metabolism; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008933:Mitochondrial Swelling; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D005082:Physical Exertion; D000091402:Prohibitins; D065840:Protective Factors; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012420:Running; D013997:Time Factors; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D066253:Vascular Remodeling; D059289:Vascular Stiffness; D014664:Vasodilation
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; C000717332:Phb protein, rat; D000091402:Prohibitins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate
keywords: Aging; Chronic aerobic exercise training; Mitochondrial dysfunction; Oxidative stress; Vascular dysfunction