Cardiac changes in spontaneously hypertensive rats: Modulation by aerobic exercise

Systemic arterial hypertension is a multifactorial clinical condition characterized by high and sustained levels of blood pressure. For a better understanding of the pathophysiology of hypertension, studies are conducted with spontaneously hypertensive animals, which allow the investigation of physiological changes that in most cases cannot be studied in humans. In these animals, myocardial remodeling, increased pro-inflammatory markers, redox imbalance and contractile dysfunctions that lead to changes in cardiac function can be observed. However, it can be inferring that aerobic training improves cardiac function and cardiomyocyte contractility, in addition to controlling inflammation and reducing oxidative stress in cardiac muscle, despite this, the precise mechanisms by which physical exercise improves cardiovascular control are not fully understood. In this review, we provide an overview of the pathophysiological changes that affect the heart of spontaneously hypertensive animals and their modulation by aerobic exercise.

Automated summary

Systemic arterial hypertension is a clinical condition characterized by high and sustained levels of blood pressure. Research on spontaneously hypertensive animals has provided insights into the physiological changes that affect the heart in hypertension. Aerobic exercise has shown to improve cardiac function and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the heart, although the precise mechanisms are not fully understood. This review provides an overview of the pathological changes in the heart of spontaneously hypertensive animals and the modulatory effects of aerobic exercise.