Exercise training enhances basic fibroblast growth factor-induced collateral blood flow

H. T. Yang, Robert W. Ogilvie, Ronald L. Terjung
1998 American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology  
Exercise training enhances basic fibroblast growth factorinduced collateral blood flow. Am. J. Physiol. 274 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 43): H2053-H2061, 1998.-This study evaluated whether daily exercise would enhance the peripheral collateral vessel development found in response to exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) infusion. After bilateral femoral occlusion, male Sprague-Dawley rats (ϳ325 g) received intra-arterial infusions of either bFGF (1 µg/day; n ϭ 15) or carrier solution (n ϭ
more » ... ) via osmotic pumps for 2 wk. Subgroups of each treatment were kept sedentary (cage activity) or trained by walking at 20 m/min at 15% grade, two times a day, 5 days/wk for 4 wk. Training markedly increased citrate synthase activity in the active muscle (P Ͻ 0.001). Muscle function and blood flows ( 85 Sr microsphere) were evaluated using an isolated hindquarter perfused at 100 mmHg via the abdominal aorta. The significant increase in blood flow to the entire hindlimb in the sedentary animals, caused by bFGF infusion (P Ͻ 0.05), was further increased (P Ͻ 0.01) in the bFGF-trained group. The quantitatively largest increases in blood flows were observed in the collateraldependent tissues of the distal hindlimb. Blood flows to the entire calf muscle group increased ϳ140% in carrier-trained (P Ͻ 0.001), ϳ180% in bFGF sedentary (P Ͻ 0.001), and ϳ240% in the bFGF-trained (P Ͻ 0.001) groups compared with the carrier sedentary group. The increases in collateral blood flow were functionally important, as improvements in calf muscle performance correlated with measured blood flows. Our results demonstrate that exogenous bFGF administration in combination with a moderate-intensity exercise program greatly increases collateral-dependent blood flow and improves muscle performance. That physical activity enriched the bFGF response is consistent with the hypothesis that hemodynamic factors are important contributors to collateral vessel enlargement.
doi:10.1152/ajpheart.1998.274.6.h2053 fatcat:v4tm742rbbfvzkbytbtjz6csbi