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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 296/2/H389    most recent 01393.2007v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wu, G. Articles by Laham, R. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wu, G. Articles by Laham, R. J.

Exercise-induced expression of VEGF and salvation of myocardium in the early stage of myocardial infarction

¹Department of Cardiology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China; and ²Division of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts

Submitted 2 December 2007 ; accepted in final form 31 October 2008

The mechanism of exercise-induced benefit and angiogenesis in ischemic heart disease remains poorly defined. This study was designed to investigate the effects of exercise training on the expression of angiogenic factors and angiogenesis in the infarcted myocardium [myocarial infaction (MI)]. Sixty-three male FVB mice were used for study and were divided into subgroups to test the response to exercise: the time-dependent expression of angiogenic factors to exercise training in normal (group 1; n = 12) and infarcted myocardium (group 2; n = 15) and the exercise-induced angiogenic response in normal and infarcted myocardium (group 3; n = 20) as well as the impact of exercise preconditioning on infarcted myocardium (group 4; n = 26). Exercise training consisted of daily treadmill exercise for 1 h for 3 days. Expression of VEGF and its receptors Flt-1 and Flk-1 was upregulated by exercise training in mice with MI. Exercise-induced VEGF expression in the MI group was higher than that in the sham (control) group. Cell proliferation assessment showed a significantly higher (P < 0.05) number of bromodeoxyuridine-positive cells in post-MI mice in the exercise group as opposed to post-MI mice in the sedentary group. 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining revealed a profound difference in the size of MI (18.25 ± 2.93%) in the exercise group versus the sedentary group (29.26 ± 7.64%, P = 0.02). Moreover, exercise preconditioning before MI promoted VEGF expression at both mRNA and protein levels. In conclusion, activation of VEGF and its receptors occurs in the infarcted mice heart in response to exercise, which results in decreased infarct size and improved angiogenesis.

exercise; angiogenesis; ischemic heart disease; vascular endothelial growth factor