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Impact of Long-Term Voluntary Exercise on Body Composition and Pulmonary Function in Female Sprague-Dawley Rats
Citation:
Gordon, C., P. Phillips, K. Jarema, T. Beasley, AND A. Johnstone. Impact of Long-Term Voluntary Exercise on Body Composition and Pulmonary Function in Female Sprague-Dawley Rats. Experimental Biology 2015 Conference, Boston, MA, March 28 - April 01, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
This abstract will be presented at the Experimental Biology 2015 Conference March 28 to April 1, 2015, Boston, MA
Description:
A sedentary (SED) lifestyle may contribute to increased susceptibility to air pollutants. Active (ACT), leaner individuals with improved cardiopulmonary fitness are thought to be less susceptible. It is important to develop animal models to study relationships between level of exercise, body composition, pulmonary function and susceptibility to air pollution. ACT rats (N=40) were housed individually in cages with running wheels (Techniplast). Wheel activity (WA) was monitored continuously for 12 wk. SED rats were housed in cages without wheels. Percent body fat, lean, and fluid were monitored noninvasively (Bruker). Pulmonary responses (minute ventilation (MV), breathing frequency (BF), tidal volume (TV}, and enhanced pause (penh)) were assessed (BUXCO) prior to and after 12 wk of training. Individual variation in total WA ranged from 213 to 1152 km with a mean of 708 ± 38 km. Individual differences in WA persisted throughout the study. Percent fat decreased by 2% after 1 wk of training; the difference persisted throughout training. Percent lean also decreased, whereas %fluid increased in ACT rats. There was an inverse correlation between total WA and %fat. MV, BF, and penh decreased in ACT rats. However, there was no correlation between total WA and changes in the pulmonary function. Overall, there was a direct relationship between level of running and decrease in body fat. Exercise improved pulmonary function; however, improved function was not dependent on individual WA. This abstract does not necessarily reflect US EPA policy.