© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 287
J. Xiao (ed.), Exercise for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment,
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 999,
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-4307-9_16
Chapter 16
Experimental Evidences Supporting Training-
Induced Benefits in Spontaneously
Hypertensive Rats
Gustavo S. Masson and Lisete C. Michelini
Abstract It is well known that chronic hypertension is accompanied by several
functional deficits in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues, most of
which are corrected by exercise training. However, the biological mechanisms
underlying these effects are not yet well understood. In the present chapter we sum-
marize recent experimental evidence on cellular/molecular mechanisms supporting
not only the deleterious effects of hypertension on autonomic control and peripheral
circulatory deficits, but also their reversion by low to moderate aerobic exercise
training. Interestingly, both hypertension and aerobic training exert their effects by
acting exactly on the same pathways/mechanisms but in opposed directions.
Keywords Training-induced • Spontaneously hypertensive rats • Exercise
1 Introduction
The development of experimental models of hypertension allowed researchers to
reveal several pathophysiological mechanisms and to discover new therapeutic
strategies. Several pharmacological as well as life style modifications have been
extensively used to overcome many of the deleterious effects caused by the mainte-
nance of elevated pressure levels. Hypertensive animals submitted to aerobic exer-
cise training, an important life style change, developed numerous cardiovascular
G.S. Masson
Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences,
University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
L.C. Michelini (*)
Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences,
University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
National Institute for Science & Technology – INCT (In)activity & Exercise, CNPq,
São Paulo, Brazil
e-mail: [email protected]