Anti-Renal Fibrotic Effect of Exercise Training in Hypertension

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2018-02, Vol.19 (2), p.613
• Main Authors: Huang, Ching, Lin, Yi-Yuan, Yang, Ai-Lun, Kuo, Tang-Wei, Kuo, Chia-Hua, Lee, Shin-Da
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal models; Animals; Blood pressure; Connective tissue growth factor; Connective Tissue Growth Factor - genetics; Cyclooxygenase 2 - genetics; Cyclooxygenase-2; Exercise Therapy; Fibrosis; Fibrosis - genetics; Fibrosis - physiopathology; Fibrosis - therapy; Fitness training programs; Gelatinase A; Gelatinase B; Gene Expression Regulation - genetics; Growth factors; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - genetics; Hypertension - physiopathology; Hypertension - therapy; Inflammation; Interleukin 6; Interleukin-6 - genetics; Kidney Diseases - genetics; Kidney Diseases - physiopathology; Kidney Diseases - therapy; Matrix metalloproteinase; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 - genetics; Metalloproteinase; Nephropathy; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR - genetics; Rats, Inbred SHR - physiology; Renal cortex; Rodents; Sedentary Behavior; Smad2 protein; Transforming Growth Factor beta - genetics; treadmill training; Western blotting
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms19020613

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of exercise training on renal fibrosis in hypertensive rats. Masson's trichrome staining and Western blotting were performed on the excised renal cortex from sixteen male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), which were randomly divided into either a sedentary hypertensive group (SHR) or exercise hypertensive group (SHR-EX, running on an exercise treadmill for 60 min/day, 5 sessions/week, for 12 weeks), and from eight male Wistar-Kyoto rats which served as a sedentary normotensive group (WKY). The systolic blood pressure (SBP) and renal fibrosis in hypertensive rats improved after exercise training. The inflammatory-related protein levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), as well as the fibrotic-related protein levels of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), phospho-Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were decreased in the SHR-EX group when compared with the SHR group. Exercise training suppressed the hypertension-induced renal cortical inflammatory and fibrotic pathways in hypertensive rat models. These findings might indicate a new therapeutic effect for exercise training to prevent renal fibrosis in hypertensive nephropathy.