Strength training attenuates kidney and cardiac hypertrophy resulting from renovascular hypertension

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effects of strength training on renal and cardiac hypertrophy induced by the renovascular hypertension in rats.

Method: Eighteen male rats were divided into three groups: sham, hypertensive (2K1C) and trained hypertensive (2K1C-TR). The animals were induced to renovascular hypertension through ligation of the left renal artery. Strength training was initiated four weeks after the induction of renovascular hypertension, had the duration of 12 weeks and was performed at 70% of one maximum repetition. At the end, it was measured blood pressure, heart rate and parameters of renal and cardiac hypertrophies.

Results: Strength training promoted reduction in heart rate (p=0.0025) and blood pressure (p=0.01). In addition, training decreased the absolute masses of the kidney (p=0.0001) and heart (p=0.006), and  the indexes of renal and cardiac hypertrophy, both normalized by the body mass of the animals (p=0.0001 e p=0.001, respectively) and by the length of the tibia (p=0.004 e p=0.0004, respectively).

Conclusion: Strength training has beneficial effects on renovascular hypertension in animals, being able to reduce blood pressure and heart rate, attenuating the development of renal and cardiac hypertrophies in rats with renovascular hypertension.