April - June 2016, Volume 12, Issue 2

Habibi P, Alihemmatti A., Alipour M, Nourazar A, Yousefi H, Andalib S, Ahmadiasl N

Effects of Exercise on miR-29 and IGF-1 Expression and Lipid Profile in the Heart of Ovariectomized Rat

Acta Endo (Buc) 2016, 12 (2): 130-136
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2016.130

Introduction. Menopause increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in women. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the effects of swimming training on cardiac histology and expression of miR-29 and IGF-1 in the ovariectomized rats. Materials and methods. Thirty female Wistar rats were divided into sham and ovariectomized groups: sedentary control (OVX) and trained with 8 weeks exercise (OVX.E). On 57th day, blood was collected and used for lipid profile measurement. In addition, heart tissue was analyzed by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction for IGF- 1 mRNA and miR-29, and studied for histopathological changes. Results. Ovariectomy significantly decreased miR- 29 and IGF-1 expression in the heart compared to sham animals group (p<0.05). Exercise training increased miR-29 and IGF- 1 expression in the trained rats and improved histology and lipid profile compared with OVX group (p<0.05). Conclusion. Estrogen deficiency could lead to cardiac fibrosis through deregulation miR-29 and IGF-1 expression. The findings of the current study suggests a protective effect of exercise on heart against fibrotic changes in ovariectomized rats and support a potential preventive value of exercise in improving cardiac function after menopause.

Keywords: Ovariectomy, IGF-1, miR-29, heart, swimming training.

Correspondence: Nasser Ahmadiasl MD PhD, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz, 51656-87386, Islamic Republic of Iran, E-mail: n.ahmadiasl@gmail.com