PURPOSE: This study was to investigate effect of endurance exercise on estrogen receptors, endothelin-1, eNOS and ERK expression in aorta of ovariectomized rats. METHODS: Female (Fischer 344, n=40) rat of 6 weeks ages were divided into 3 groups; Sham-control (SO, n=10), OVX-control (SC, n=10), OVX-low intensity exercise (OL, n=10), OVX-moderate intensity exercise (OM, n=10). The two exercise training groups ran on treadmill for 60 min/day, 5 times/week at 18 and 26 m/min for 16 weeks. Western blotting was used to analysis rat aortas and target proteins. The statistical evaluation was performed using one way ANOVA and post-hoc test. p<.05 was considered statistical significant. RESULTS: In comparison with OV group, OM group showed significantly lower body weight gain and TG. Expression of estrogen receptor α (ERα) and ET-1, not estrogen receptor β (ERβ), in OV was significantly higher than SC, but they were significantly recovered in both of OL and OM compared with OV. Both of OL and OM significantly increased phosphorylation of eNOS and ERK compared with OV. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that endurance exercise training may improve the vascular function through suppression of ET-1 and activation of eNOS, ERK and ERα in aorta of ovariectomized rats.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of PPAR-γ, inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant proteins in aorta by 12 weeks of endurance exercise training.The Wistar-Kyoto rats(WKY, n=16) and Spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR, n=16) were divided into 4 groups; WKY control(WC), WKY exercise(WE), SHR control(SC), SHR exercise(SE), and submitted to treadmill exercise for 12 weeks(5 days/week, 30~60 min/day).Every other weeks, body weight and systolic blood pressure were measured.24 hours after last exercise, all rats were sacrificed then, blood lipid profiles were measured and the expression of PPAR-γ, inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant proteins were analyzed by western blotting.The expression of PPAR-γ of WE and SE were significantly increased compared with WC and SC.MCP-1 and TNF-α were significantly decreased in SE, but IL-1β shows no differences.Mn-SOD and HSP70 were significantly increased by exercise in WE and SE.Therefore, we suggested that endurance exercise could increase the PPARγ expres sion and decrease the inflammatory cytokines and increase antioxidant proteins and it plays a important role in ameliorating the hypertension.

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) is a nuclear transcription factor that plays a central role in lipid metabolism and obesity. Exercise also is a powerful modifier of the manifestations of the lipid metabolism and obesity in animal models and humans with obesity and metabolic syndrome. However, effects of exercise on lipid metabolism and obesity in normal-weight younger female subjects, having functional ovaries and not metabolic disease, remain unexplained. To explore the effects of exercise on the development of obesity and its molecular mechanism in high fat diet-fed female C57BL/6J mice, we experimented the effects of swim training on body weight, adipose tissue mass, serum lipid levels, morphological changes of adipocytes and the expression of PPARα target genes involved in fat oxidation in skeletal muscle tissue of female C57BL/6J mice. Swim-trained mice had significantly decreased body weight, adipose tissue mass, serum triglycerides compared with female control mice. Histological studies showed that swim training significantly decreased the average size of adipoctyes in parametrial adipose tissue. Swim training did not affect the expression of PPARα mRNA in skeletal muscle. Concomitantly, swim training did not increase mRNA levels of PPARα target genes responsible for fatty acid β-oxidation, such as carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, enoyl-CoA hydratase/3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and thiolase in skeletal muscle. In conclusion, these results indicate that swim training regulates lipid metabolism and obesity in high fat diet fed-female mice although swim training did not increase mRNA levels of PPARα target genes involved in fatty acid β-oxidation in skeletal muscle, suggesting that swim training may prevent obesity and improve fitness through other mechanisms in female with functioning ovaries, not through the activation of skeletal muscle PPARα.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine the expression of stress related proteins and cytokines in heart and aorta of hypertensive rats following the exercise intervention in order to identify the beneficial effect of exercise training. METHODS: Sixteen Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKYs) (age, 4 weeks) and Sixteen Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats(SHRs) were used and randomly divided into 4 groups; WKY Control(WC, n = 8), WKY Exercise Training(WE, n = 8), SHR Control(SC, n=8), and SHR Exercise Training(SE, n = 8). Endurance exercise was performed by a treadmill-running program (16 m/min, 0% grade, 30∼60mins/day, 5 days/week, 12 weeks). RESULTS: HSP70(heat shock protein 70) expression in heart were significantly increased by the exercise training in both WKY and SHR groups (p

This study investigated the effect of moderate exercise training on macrophage immunocompetence in high fat diet-induced obese mice. To determine the differential effects of exercise training and low fat diet on macrophage, C57BL/6 male mice (4 week old, n=32) were fed high-fat diet for 5 weeks to induce obese. The high fat-induced obese mice were then divided into four groups and differently treated by high/low fat diet and exercise training for a further 8 weeks; HHC (13 weeks high-fat diet), HHE (13 weeks high-fat diet with 8 weeks Exercise training) and HLC (5 weeks high-fat diet and 8 weeks low-fat diet), HLE (5 weeks high-fat diet and 8 weeks low-fat diet with exercise training). The exercise groups were performed on a motorized treadmill, running for 30-60 min/day at 10-22 m/min, 0% grade for 8wks. Body weight was significantly decreased for those with a low-fat diet and exercise training (HLE). Macrophage phagocytosis was significantly increased by low-fat diet and exercise training (HLE). The percentage of stimulation of NO release induced by LPS was higher in HLE than in other groups. The percentage of stimulation of IL-1β release induced by LPS was higher in HHE and HLE than in other groups. The percentage of stimulation of IFN-γ release induced by LPS was higher in HLE than in other groups. These findings suggest that moderate exercise and low-fat diet have beneficial effects on macrophage immunocompetence in high fat diet-induced obese mice.