Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Mehdi Kargarfard ¹
• milad mokhtaba ²
• Farzaneh Chehelcheraghi ³
• afshin nazari ⁴

¹ University of Isfahan Faculty of Sport Sciences Department of Exercise Physiology Hezar Jerib Street, P.O. Box 81746-7344

² Department Of Exercise Physiology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

³ Assistant Professor of Anatomical Sciences, Anatomical Sciences Department, School of Medicine, Lorestan University Medical of Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.

⁴ Faculty Member of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Objectives
Aging is associated with an increase in systemic inflammation and fibrosis in heart tissue. Regular exercise and hawthorn plant can be effective in modulating inflammation and fibrosis. The aim of this research was the effect of high intensity interval training (HIIT) in combination with hawthorn extract consumption on cardiac fibrosis and inflammatory markers in heart tissue of elderly rats.
Materials and methods
In an experimental study,36 elderly male rats aged 21±2 months were prepared and randomly divided into four equal groups. The exercise intervention consisted of five HIIT training sessions per week and giving the rats 100mg/kg hawthorn extract by gavage for eight weeks. Sampling was done after the end of the course to measure TNF,IL1 and the level of fibrosis. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance, Bonferroni test, ImageJ software.
Results
The findings showed that there was a significant decrease in the tissue concentrations of IL1,TNF and the amount of fibrosis among the research groups. Both research interventions led to a significant decrease in the tissue concentration of TNF and IL1 in comparison with the control group. Also,the greatest reduction in the amount of fibrosis was observed in the exercise+extract group. However, the results of the Bonferroni test showed a significant difference between the exercise+extract group in comparison with the exercise group and the extract group in reducing the amount of fibrosis.
Conclusion
It seems that the combination of HIIT training and hawthorn consumption has a greater effect on reducing inflammation and fibrosis in the elderly.

Keywords

• HIIT exercise training
• hawthorn extract
• fibrosis
• inflammation
• interleukin 1 beta
• tumor necrosis factor alpha

Main Subjects

• Cardiovascular and respiratory