© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 75
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_5
Chapter 5
Structural, Contractile
and Electrophysiological Adaptations
of Cardiomyocytes to Chronic Exercise
A. Krzesiak, N. Delpech, S. Sebille, C. Cognard, and A. Chatelier
Abstract Cardiac beneficial effects of chronic exercise is well admitted. These
effects mainly studied at the organ and organism integrated levels find their origin
in cardiomyocyte adaptation. This chapter try to highlight the main trends of the
data related to the different parameters subject to such adaptations. This is addressed
through cardiomyocytes size and structure, calcium and contractile properties, and
finally electrophysiological alterations induced by training as they transpire from
the literature. Despite the clarifications needed to decipher healthy cardiomyocyte
remodeling, this overview clearly show that cardiac cell plasticity ensure the cardiac
adaptation to exercise training and offers an interesting mean of action to counteract
physiological disturbances induced by cardiac pathologies.
Keywords Structure • Contractile • Electrophysiological adaptation • Cardiomyocytes
- Exercise
A. Krzesiak
Equipe Transferts Ioniques et Rythmicité Cardiaque (TIRC), Lab. Signalisation et Transports
Ioniques Membranaires (STIM), ERL CNRS/Université de Poitiers n°7368, Faculté des
Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées,
Pôle Biologie Santé Bât B36/B37, 1 rue Georges Bonnet TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers Cedex
9, France
Laboratoire Mobilité, Vieillissement & Exercice (MOVE) - EA 6314, Faculté des Sciences du
Sport Bât C6, 8, allée Jean Monnet, TSA 31113, 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
N. Delpech
Laboratoire Mobilité, Vieillissement & Exercice (MOVE) - EA 6314, Faculté des Sciences du
Sport Bât C6, 8, allée Jean Monnet, TSA 31113, 86073 Poitiers Cedex 9, France
S. Sebille • C. Cognard • A. Chatelier (*)
Equipe Transferts Ioniques et Rythmicité Cardiaque (TIRC), Lab. Signalisation et Transports
Ioniques Membranaires (STIM), ERL CNRS/Université de Poitiers n°7368, Faculté des
Sciences Fondamentales et Appliquées,
Pôle Biologie Santé Bât B36/B37, 1 rue Georges Bonnet TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers Cedex
9, France
e-mail: [email protected]