Key result
Exercise reduces atherosclerotic plaque stenosis ~25% in early-stage mouse models versus sedentary controls.
Why the study?
Exercise is associated with a less atherogenic lipid profile, but there is limited research on its effect on atherosclerotic plaque composition and markers of plaque stability.
Does a 10-week exercise program reduce plaque volume and improve composition in apoE-/- mice with early or late-stage atherosclerosis?
RCT (n=103)
Assessor-blinded
Randomly assigned
No
Does a 10-week exercise program reduce plaque volume and improve composition in apoE-/- mice with early or late-stage atherosclerosis?
Effect estimate: -25%
Absolute Event Rate: 33.7% vs 44.9%
p-value: p=<0.01
A 10-week exercise regimen reduces atherosclerotic plaque stenosis in both early and late-stage atherosclerosis in a mouse model, with earlier intervention yielding greater benefits on lipids and plaque composition.
Exercise may attenuate plaque in atherosclerosis models; leaves open human translation and requires clinical trials.
Background Exercise is associated with a less atherogenic lipid profile; however, there is limited research on the effect of exercise on atherosclerotic plaque composition and markers of plaque stability. Methods A total of 110 apolipoprotein (apo)E−/− mice were placed on a chow diet and randomly assigned to control or exercise for a period of 10 weeks, commencing either at 12 weeks of age (the early-stage atherosclerosis, EA group) or at 40 weeks of age (the late-stage atherosclerosis, LA group). At the end of the exercise period, blood was assayed for lipids. Histologic analysis of the aortic sinus was undertaken to assess plaque size and composition that includes macrophage content, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase 1 and 2 (TIMP-1 and 2). Results A total of 103 mice (38 EA, 65 LA) completed the protocol. In the EA group, exercise reduced plasma total cholesterol (TC) (−16%), free cholesterol (−13%), triglyceride (TG) (−35%), and phospholipid (−27%) levels, when compared to sedentary control mice (p < 0.01). In the EA group, exercise also significantly reduced plaque stenosis (−25%, p < 0.01), and there were higher levels of elastin (3-fold increase, p < 0.0001) and collagen (11-fold increase, p < 0.0001) in plaques, compared to control mice. There was an increase in plaque MMP-2 content in the exercise group (13% increase, p < 0.05) but no significant difference in macrophage or MCP-1 content. In the LA group, exercise reduced plaque stenosis (−18%, p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in plaque composition. There was no difference in macrophage, MCP-1, or MMP-2 content in the LA groups. TIMP-1 was lower with exercise in both the EA and LA groups (−59%, p < 0.01 and −51%, p < 0.01 respectively); however, there was no difference in TIMP-2 levels. Conclusion A 10-week exercise period reduces atherosclerotic plaque stenosis when commenced at both early- and late-stage atherosclerosis. Intervening earlier with exercise had a greater beneficial effect on lipids and plaque composition than when starting exercise at a later disease stage.
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Stanton et al. (2022) conducted an RCT in Atherosclerosis (n=103). Exercise vs. Sedentary control was evaluated on Plaque stenosis (early-stage group) (-25%, p=<0.01). A 10-week exercise program significantly reduced atherosclerotic plaque stenosis by 25% in early-stage and 18% in late-stage mouse models of atherosclerosis compared to sedentary controls.
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