Exercise training reduces cardiac fibrosis, promoting improvement in arrhythmias and cardiac dysfunction in an experimental model of chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy

Figures

• 

  FIGURE 1. Exercise training protocol.

• 

  FIGURE 2. Improvement of cardiac disturbances after ExT. EKG recordings from healthy C57Bl6 mice uninfected, Heart rate of 511 bpm; PR interval 36 ms; QT interval of 50 ms (A); ExT CCC mice pre-training, Heart rate of 418 bpm (B); and ExT CCC mice post-training, Heart rate of 455bpm; PR interval 56 ms; QT interval of 60 ms (C). ▼ P wave; ▲QRS complex; ◊ sustained Monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. Wave amplitude in µV. Time in seconds.

• 

  FIGURE 3. Arrhythmias severity. ExT was able to reduce the severity of arrhythmias.

• 

  FIGURE 4. Echocardiography functional assessment. Echocardiographic analyses were performed before and 1 week after the end of ExT in control uninfected mice and infected mice. The comparative analyses between control and chagasic mice before training revealed significantly differences in Ventricular Internal Diameter during systole (A); Posterior Wall Thickness during systole (B), Ejection Fraction (C); Fractional Shortening (D); End-diastolic Volume (E) and End-systolic volume (F) and Isovolumetric Relaxation Time (G). Values are expressed as mean ± SEM. *p ≤ 0.05.

• 

  FIGURE 5. Histopathological analysis in heart sections. Heart sections stained with Picrosirius Red of CTL mice (A), Sed CCC mice (B) and ExT CCC mice (C). Morphometric analysis of the percentage of fibrosis area in heart sections (D). Values are expressed as mean ± SEM. ****P < 0.0001.

• 

  FIGURE 6. Histopathological analysis in skeletal muscle sections. Skeletal muscle sections stained with Picrosirius Red of CTL mice (A), Sed CCC mice (B) and ExT CCC mice (C). Morphometric analysis of the percentage of fibrosis area in skeletal muscle sections (D). Values are expressed as mean ± SEM. ****P < 0.0001.

• 

  FIGURE 7. Quantification analysis of inflammatory cells in the cardiac tissue. Heart sections stained with H&E of CTL (A), Sed CCC (B) and ExT CCC mice (C). Inflammatory cells were quantified in heart sections and integrated by area (D). Values are expressed as mean ± SEM. ***P < 0.001.

• 

  FIGURE 8. Quantification analysis of inflammatory cells in the skeletal muscle tissue. Skeletal muscle sections stained with H&E of CTL (A), Sed CCC (B) and ExT CCC mice (C). Inflammatory cells were quantified in skeletal muscle sections and integrated by area (D). Morphometrical analysis Values are expressed as mean ± SEM. ****P < 0.0001.

• 

  FIGURE 9. RT-qPCR in heart tissue. Representative values of TGF-β (A), TNF-α (B), IL-6 (C), IL-β (D), MMP-9 (E) and TIMP-1 (F). Expression obtained 1 week after the end of ExT. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM of 6 mice/non-infected group; 8 mice/infected group). *p ≤ 0.05; **p ≤ 0.01; ***p ≤ 0.001.