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Exercise, vascular stiffness, and tissue transglutaminase.
Jochen Steppan1, Gautam Sikka, Simran Jandu
1Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Journal of the American Heart Association
|April 12, 2014
Summary
Moderate aerobic exercise improved nitric oxide (NO) signaling and reduced tissue transglutaminase (TG2) cross-linking in aging rats. However, exercise did not reverse age-related increases in vascular stiffness measured in vivo.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Aging Research
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Vascular aging is linked to increased vascular stiffness.
- Reduced nitric oxide (NO)-induced S-nitrosylation of tissue transglutaminase (TG2) contributes to this age-related stiffness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if exercise can restore NO signaling and reduce vascular stiffness by modulating TG2 activity in aging rats.
Main Methods:
- Aging rats underwent 12 weeks of moderate aerobic exercise.
- Assessed NO signaling markers, TG2 activity and cross-linking, and aortic stiffness (PWV, ex vivo tensile testing).
Main Results:
- Aging reduced NO signaling and increased TG2 cross-linking activity.
- Exercise attenuated these molecular changes and improved ex vivo aortic mechanical properties.
- However, exercise did not alter the in vivo relationship between blood pressure and aortic stiffness (PWV-MAP).
Conclusions:
- Aging increases vascular stiffness via decreased NO bioavailability and increased TG2 cross-linking.
- Moderate aerobic exercise can enhance NO signaling and decrease TG2 cross-linking, partially restoring vascular mechanical properties.
- Exercise failed to reverse functional, in vivo vascular stiffness in this aging rat model.
