Journal article

Publication year: 2014

Pages: L986-L995

Journal: American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology

Volume number: 306

Issue number: 11

ISSN: 1040-0605

eISSN: 1522-1504

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplung.00275.2013

Publisher: American Physiological Society

Abstract: 

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a disease with a poor prognosis characterized by a vascular remodeling process and an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance. While a variety of reports demonstrated that exercise training exerts beneficial effects on exercise performance and quality of life in PH patients, it is not known how physical exercise affects vascular remodeling processes occurring in hypoxia-induced PH. Therefore, we investigated the effect of individualized exercise training on the development of hypoxia-induced PH in mice. Training effects were compared with pharmacological treatment with the phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor Sildenafil or a combination of training plus Sildenafil. Trained mice who received Sildenafil showed a significantly improved walking distance (from 88.9 ± 8.1 to 146.4 ± 13.1 m) and maximum oxygen consumption (from 93.3 ± 2.9 to 105.5 ± 2.2% in combination with Sildenafil, to 102.2 ± 3.0% with placebo) compared with sedentary controls. Right ventricular systolic pressure, measured by telemetry, was at the level of healthy normoxic animals, whereas right heart hypertrophy did not benefit from training. Most interestingly, the increase in small pulmonary vessel muscularization was prevented by training. Respective counterregulatory processes were detected for the nitric oxide-soluble guanylate cyclase-phosphodiesterase system. We conclude that individualized daily exercise can prevent vascular remodeling in hypoxia-induced PH.

Harvard Citation style: Weissmann, N., Peters, D., Klöpping, C., Krüger, K., Pilat, C., Katta, S., et al. (2014) Structural and functional prevention of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension by individualized exercise training in mice, American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, 306(11), pp. L986-L995. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplung.00275.2013

APA Citation style: Weissmann, N., Peters, D., Klöpping, C., Krüger, K., Pilat, C., Katta, S., Seimetz, M., Ghofrani, H., Schermuly, R., Witzenrath, M., Seeger, W., Grimminger, F., & Mooren, F. (2014). Structural and functional prevention of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension by individualized exercise training in mice. American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology. 306(11), L986-L995. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplung.00275.2013