Anti-contractile effects of perivascular adipose tissue in thoracic aorta from rats fed a high-fat diet: role of aerobic exercise training

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of aerobic exercise training on perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) function in thoracic aorta from rats fed a high-fat diet. Aortic vascular reactivity was performed in sedentary (SD), trained (TR), sedentary high-fat diet (SD-HF), and trained high-fat diet (TR-HF) male Wistar rats in the absence (PVAT−) or in the presence (PVAT+) of thoracic PVAT. We also measured circulatory concentrations of leptin and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), as well as the protein expressions of TNF-α receptor 1 (TNFR1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) on PVAT. In the SD-HF group, the body weight, epididymal fat pad, thoracic PVAT, circulatory triglycerides, insulin, leptin and TNF-α were increased when compared with the SD group, whereas exercise training reduced these values in TR-HF group. The relaxing response curves to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside were not modified by either intervention (high-fat diet or exercise training) or the presence of PVAT. The presence of PVAT had an anti-contractile effect in response to serotonin in all groups. In SD-HF group, the increased magnitude of anti-contractile effects was in parallel with an up-regulation of iNOS protein expression in PVAT without alteration in TNFR1. Exercise training was effective in normalizing the vascular reactivity in rings PVAT+ and in reducing the iNOS protein expression. Exercise training prevented the PVAT–induced alteration in thoracic aorta from rats fed a high-fat diet.