Effect of short-term exercise training on angiogenic growth factor gene responses in
rats.
Gavin, Timothy P., and Peter D. Wagner.
Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
92093«hyphen»0623
APStracts 7:0045A, 2000.
We investigated whether 1) 5 days of exercise training would reduce the acute exercise-
induced increase in skeletal muscle growth factor gene expression; and 2) reductions in
the increase in growth factor gene expression in response to short-term exercise training
would be coincident with increases in skeletal muscle oxidative potential. Female Wistar
rats were used. Six groups (rest; exercise for 1-5 consecutive days) were used to measure
the growth factor response through the early phases of an exercise training program.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-
beta1), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) mRNA were analyzed from the left
gastrocnemius by quantitative Northern blot. Citrate synthase activity (CSA) was
analyzed from the right gastrocnemius. VEGF and TGF-beta1 mRNA were increased
after each of 5 days of exercise training, whereas exercise on any day did not increase
bFGF mRNA. On day 1, the VEGF mRNA response was significantly greater than on
days 2-5. However, the reduced increase in VEGF mRNA observed on days 2-5 was not
coincident with increases in CSA. These findings suggest that, in skeletal muscle, 1)
VEGF and TGF-beta1 mRNA are increased through 5 days of exercise training and 2) the
reduced exercise-induced increase in VEGF mRNA responses on days 2-5 does not result
from increases in oxidative potential.
Received 26 April 2000; accepted in final form 10 October 2000
APS Manuscript Number A0369-0.
Article publication pending J Appl Physiol
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 2000 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 29 January 2001