Aerobic Exercise Training Prevents Heart Failure-Induced Skeletal Muscle Atrophy by Anti-Catabolic, but Not Anabolic Actions

32 male Wistar rats (3-4 weeks old, 90-100 g at surgery). 16 underwent ascending aortic stenosis (AS) to induce heart failure, and 16 underwent sham surgery. At 18 weeks post-surgery, rats with cardiac dysfunction were randomized into 4 groups (n=8 each): Sham-UN, Sham-ET, AS-UN, and AS-ET.

10 weeks of aerobic exercise training (ET) on a motor treadmill, 5 days/week, with progressively increasing duration (5 to 22 min) and intensity (running speed corresponding to the lactate threshold).

Untrained (sedentary) groups (Sham-UN and AS-UN) that did not undergo the exercise training protocol.

Skeletal muscle atrophy (soleus and plantaris muscles) and expression of anabolic and catabolic factors at 28 weeks post-surgery.surrogate