Exercise Reduced Cardiac Damage from Doxorubicin-Induced Heart Failure Via Anti-Fibrosis and Anti- Oxidative Stress Effects in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Heart failure is with high morbidity and mortality rates. Exercise is good for heart health. Our studies used 45 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats weighing 150 20 g that were randomly divided into a control group (normal saline, n = 15), doxorubicin (DOX) group (n = 15) and DOX plus exercise (DOX+E) group (n = 15). Heart failure was induced experimentally by intraperitoneal injections of the cardiotoxic agent DOX. All groups received different treatment for 8 weeks. Left ventricular fractional shortening and ejection fraction were higher in DOX+E group rats than in DOX group rats on an echocardiographic examination. Significant cardiac tissue damage (haematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome staining) were seen in rats of the DOX group compared to those of the DOX+E group. Exercise inhibited DOX-induced cardiac fibrosis (transforming growth factor-, -smooth muscle actin, collagen I, and collagen III) and oxidative stress (Nox4, p53) in an immunoblotting analysis. These results indicate that exercise may be a potential therapeutic method for cardiac damage induced by DOX-induced heart failure.