title: Skeletal muscle electrical stimulation improves baroreflex sensitivity and heart rate variability in heart failure rats.
abstract: The goal of the current study was to evaluate the effects of electrical stimulation (ES) on the arterial baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and cardiovascular autonomic control in rats with chronic heart failure (CHF). Male Wistar rats were designated to one of four groups: placebo sham (P-Sham, n=9), ES sham (ES-Sham, n=9), placebo CHF (P-CHF, n=9) or ES CHF (ES-CHF, n=9). The ES was adjusted at a low frequency (30 Hz), duration of 250 μs, with hold and rest time of 8s (4 weeks, 30 min/day, 5 times/week). It was applied on the gastrocnemius muscle with intensity to produce a visible muscle contraction. The rats assigned to the placebo groups performed the same procedures with the equipment turned off. The two-way ANOVA and the post hoc Student-Newman-Keuls tests (P<0.05) were used to data comparison. The BRS was higher in ES-Sham group compared to the P-Sham group and the ES-CHF group compared to the P-CHF group. ES was able to decrease heart rate sympatho-vagal modulation and peripheral sympathetic modulation in ES-CHF compared to P-CHF group. Interestingly, heart rate sympatho-vagal modulation was similar between ES-CHF and P-Sham groups. Thus, ES enhances heart rate parasympathetic modulation on heart failure (ES-CHF) compared to placebo (P-CHF), with consequent decrease of sympatho-vagal balance in the ES-CHF group compared to the P-CHF. The results show that a 4 week ES protocol in CHF rats enhances arterial BRS and cardiovascular autonomic control.
authors.affiliation: Physiology Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre - UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ananda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lazzarotto Rucatti
authors.affiliation: Physiology Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre - UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Boemo
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Jaenisch
authors.affiliation: Physiology Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre - UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Douglas Dalcin
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Rossato
authors.affiliation: Physiology Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre - UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jéssica Hellen Poletto
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Bonetto
authors.affiliation: Instituto do Coração - InCor, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Janaína
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, PUCRS, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leder Leal
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Xavier
authors.affiliation: Physiology Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre - UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Anelise
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sonza
authors.affiliation: Physiology Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre - UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Physical Therapy Department, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: pdallago@ufcspa.edu.br.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dal Lago
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017704:Baroreflex / Q000502:physiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Arterial baroreflex; Cardiovascular autonomic; Electrical stimulation; Heart failure; Heart rate parasympathetic modulation; Sympatho-vagal balance