Influence of high-intensity interval training and intermittent fasting on myocardium apoptosis pathway and cardiac morphology of healthy rats

• Published in: Life sciences (1973) Vol. 264; p. 118697
• Main Authors: Carvalho, Marianna R., Mendonça, Maria Lua M., Oliveira, Jéssica M.L., Romanenghi, Rodrigo B., Morais, Camila S., Ota, Gabriel E., Lima, Aline R.R., Oliveira, Rodrigo J., Filiú, Wander F.O., Okoshi, Katashi, Okoshi, Marina P., Oliveira-Junior, Silvio A., Martinez, Paula F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01-01-2021; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; Apoptosis-inducing factor; BAX protein; Bcl-2 protein; Cardiomyocytes; Caspase-3; Caspase-8; Collagen; Cross-sections; DIABLO protein; Fasting; Fibrosis; Heart; High-Intensity Interval Training; Hypertrophy; Interval training; Male; Models, Biological; Morphology; Myocardium; Myocardium - pathology; Myocytes, Cardiac - metabolism; Myocytes, Cardiac - pathology; Physical characteristics; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Physical exercise; Proteins; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Signal Transduction; Signaling; Time restricted feeding; Training; Physical exercise; Heart; Time restricted feeding; Apoptosis
• ISSN: 0024-3205; 1879-0631
• DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118697

To evaluate the influence of intermittent fasting and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on myocardial apoptosis signaling and cardiac morphological characteristics in healthy rats.
Male Wistar rats (n = 60) were divided into four groups: sedentary control (SED-C), intermittent fasting (SED-IF), high-intensity interval training (HIIT-C), and high-intensity interval training plus intermittent fasting (HIIT-IF). SED-C and HIIT-C groups were treated daily with ad libitum chow; SED-IF and HIIT-IF received the same standard chow every other day. HIIT-C and HIIT-IF rats were submitted to an HIIT protocol five times a week for 12 weeks. At the end of the experiment, functional capacity, cardiac morphology, and expression of apoptosis signaling pathways-related proteins were analyzed.
HIIT increased cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area, collagen interstitial fraction, and the pro-apoptotic proteins AIF and caspase-3 expression, and reduced pro-apoptotic protein CYTC expression and the cleaved-to-non-cleaved PARP-1 ratio in myocardium. Intermittent fasting reduced cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area, collagen interstitial fraction, and expression of Bax, CYTC and cleaved PARP-1, and increased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2. SMAC, ARC, and caspase-8 expression was not changed by HIIT or intermittent fasting.
HIIT promotes cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis, and modulates the apoptosis signaling pathway in healthy rat myocardium. Intermittent fasting reduces pro-apoptotic and increases antiapoptotic signaling, besides attenuating HIIT-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and myocardial interstitial fibrosis.