Global deletion of thrombospondin‐1 increases cardiac and skeletal muscle capillarity and exercise capacity in mice

Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is a known inhibitor of angiogenesis; however, a skeletal muscle phenotype of TSP-1 null mice has not been investigated. The purposes of this study were to compare and contrast TSP-1 null and wild-type mice by examining the following: (1) capillarity in the skeletal and cardiac muscles; (2) fibre type composition and oxidative enzyme activity in the hindlimb; and (3) the consequences of TSP-1 gene deletion for exercise capacity. In TSP-1 null mice, maximal running speed was 11% greater and time to exhaustion during submaximal endurance running was 67% greater compared with wild-type mice. Morphometric analyses revealed that TSP-1 null mice had higher (P < 0.05) capillarity in the heart and skeletal muscle than wild-type mice, whereas no differences for fibre type composition or oxidative enzyme activity were present between the two groups. Cardiac function, as measured by transthoracic echocardiography, revealed no difference in myocardial contractility but greater left ventricular end-diastolic and systolic dimensions, corresponding to an elevated heart mass in the TSP-1 null mice. The results of this study indicate that TSP-1 is an important endogenous negative regulator of angiogenesis that prevents excessive capillarization in the heart and skeletal muscles. The increased capillarity alone was sufficient to increase (P < 0.05) exercise capacity. These data demonstrate that the capillary-to-muscle interface is a critical factor that limits oxygen transport during exercise.