title: Reduced large elastic artery stiffness with regular aerobic exercise in middle-aged and older adults: potential role of suppressed nuclear factor κ B signalling.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aortic pulse-wave velocity (aPWV) increases with age and is a strong independent predictor of incident cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in healthy middle-aged and older adults. aPWV is lower in middle-aged and older adults who perform regular aerobic exercise than in their sedentary peers. As exercise is associated with reduced systemic inflammation, we hypothesized that suppression of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor κ B (NFκB) may mediate this process.
  
  
  METHODS
  aPWV was measured in young sedentary [n = 10, blood pressure (BP) 108 ± 3/59 ± 2 mmHg; mean ± SEM], middle-aged and older sedentary (n = 9, 124 ± 7/73 ± 5 mmHg) and middle-aged and older aerobic exercise-trained (n = 12, 110 ± 4/67 ± 2 mmHg) healthy, nonhypertensive men and women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline aPWV increased with age [626 ± 14 (young sedentary) vs. 859 ± 49 (middle-aged and older sedentary) cm/s, P < 0.001] but was 20% lower in middle-aged and older trained (686 ± 30 cm/s) than in middle-aged and older sedentary (P < 0.005). Short-term (4 days  x  2500-4500 mg) treatment with the NFκB inhibitor salsalate (randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over design) reduced aPWV (to 783 ± 44 cm/s, P < 0.05) without changing BP (P = 0.40) or heart rate (P = 0.90) in middle-aged and older sedentary, but had no effect in young sedentary (623 ± 19) or middle-aged and older trained (699 ± 30). Following salsalate treatment, aPWV no longer was significantly different in middle-aged and older sedentary vs. middle-aged and older trained (P = 0.29). The reduction in aPWV with salsalate administration was inversely related to baseline (placebo) aPWV (r = -0.60, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results support the hypothesis that suppressed NFκB signalling may partially mediate the lower aortic stiffness in middle-aged and older adults who regularly perform aerobic exercise. Because aPWV predicts incident cardiovascular events in this population, this suggests that tonic suppression of NFκB signalling in middle-aged and older exercising adults may potentially lower cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Jablonski
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Donato
authors.forename: Bradley S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Fleenor
authors.forename: Molly J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Nowlan
authors.forename: Ashley E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Rachelle E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Kaplon
authors.forename: Dov B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Ballak
authors.forename: Douglas R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Seals
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001011:Aorta / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012459:Salicylates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000187:drug effects*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D016328:NF-kappa B; D012459:Salicylates; C014182:salicylsalicylic acid