Physical training (PT) is beneficial in cardiovascular diseases associated with NO deficiency such as coronary disease, hypertension, etc. However, it is not known whether PT can also prevent pathological conditions associated with excess NO and fall of blood pressure (BP) such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim was to compare the effect of AMI on BP and functional state of the endothelium in rats trained by swimming and in untrained animals. After AMI, BP fell from 110 +/- 2 to 74 +/- 4 mm Hg (p < 0.05), the endothelium-dependent relaxation increased from 37 +/- 4 to 66 +/- 6% (p < 0.05) and the extent of contraction suppression by the endothelium was significantly greater than in the controls. PT itself increased the endothelium-dependent relaxation of rat aorta but left BP unaffected. PT limited the AMI-induced fall of BP to 87 +/- 3 mm Hg, the endothelium- dependent relaxation to 53 +/- 4% and prevented the hyporesponsiveness of the aorta to norepinephrine. We suggest that the protective effect of PT is related to inhibition of inducible NO synthase by a negative feedback mechanism.

Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology Moscow Russia