Voluntary wheel running augments aortic L-arginine transport and endothelial function in rats with chronic kidney disease

Reduced nitric oxide (NO) synthesis contributes to risk for cardiovascular disease in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Vascular uptake of the NO precursor L-arginine (ARG) is attenuated in rodents with CKD, resulting in reduced substrate availability for NO synthesis and impaired vascular function. We tested the effect of 4 wk of voluntary wheel running (RUN) and/or ARG supplementation on endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) in rats with CKD. Twelve-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 5/6 ablation infarction surgery to induce CKD, or SHAM surgery as a control. Beginning 4 wk following surgery, CKD animals either remained sedentary (SED) or received one of the following interventions: supplemental ARG, RUN, or combined RUN + ARG. Animals were euthanized 8 wk after surgery, and EDR was assessed. EDR was significantly impaired in SED vs. SHAM animals after 8 wk, in response to ACh (10(-9)-10(-5) M) as indicated by a reduced area under the curve (AUC; 44.56 +/- 9.01 vs 100 +/- 4.58, P < 0.05) and reduced maximal response (E-max; 59.9 +/- 9.67 vs. 94.31 +/- 1.27%, P < 0.05). AUC was not improved by ARG treatment but was significantly improved above SED animals in both RUN and RUN + ARG-treated animals. Maximal relaxation was elevated above SED in RUN + ARG animals only. L-[H-3] arginine uptake was impaired in both SED and ARG animals and was improved in RUN and RUN + ARG animals. The results suggest that voluntary wheel running is an effective therapy to improve vascular function in CKD and may be more beneficial when combined with L-arginine.