Background

Endurance training prevents cardiac dysfunction induced by menopause, but to date, no studies compared the effects of endurance training prior to menopause versus estrogen replacement therapy during menopause on heart function of rats.

Methods

Female Wistar rats aged three months were randomly assigned into three groups: Untrained ovariectomized rats (UN-OVX), untrained ovariectomized rats treated with estradiol (UN-OVX-E2), and ovariectomized rats previously exercised (EX-OVX). The endurance training protocol consisted of running on a treadmill at 60-70% of maximal aerobic capacity, 60 min per day, five days per week, for eight weeks. Estradiol replacement therapy consisted of silastic capsules containing the hormone for twelve days. After euthanasia, hearts were harvested, weighed and cardiac function was evaluated by the Langendorff technique.

Results

Both cardiac contractility and relaxation indexes improved similarly in the EX-OVX and UN-OVX-E2 rats compared to UN-OVX.

Conclusion

Our findings reveal similar beneficial effects between endurance training previously to menopause and estradiol replacement therapy during menopause on cardiac function of rats.

中文翻译：

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卵巢切除术前的耐力训练是否可以防止大鼠心肌收缩功能障碍？

背景

耐力训练可预防更年期引起的心脏功能障碍，但迄今为止，没有研究比较更年期前耐力训练与更年期雌激素替代疗法对大鼠心脏功能的影响。

方法

三个月大的雌性 Wistar 大鼠被随机分为三组：未经训练的去卵巢大鼠 (UN-OVX)、未经训练的用雌二醇治疗的去卵巢大鼠 (UN-OVX-E2) 和先前锻炼过的去卵巢大鼠 (EX-OVX)。耐力训练方案包括在跑步机上以最大有氧能力的 60-70%、每天 60 分钟、每周 5 天、持续八周。雌二醇替代疗法由含有激素的硅橡胶胶囊组成，为期 12 天。安乐死后，收获心脏，称重，并通过 Langendorff 技术评估心脏功能。

结果

与 UN-OVX 相比，EX-OVX 和 UN-OVX-E2 大鼠的心脏收缩力和舒张指数都有相似的改善。

结论

我们的研究结果揭示了更年期之前的耐力训练和更年期雌二醇替代疗法对大鼠心脏功能的类似有益影响。