Impact of exercise training associated to pyridostigmine treatment on autonomic function and inflammatory profile after myocardial infarction in rats.

BACKGROUND: The effects of exercise training (ET) associated with pyridostigmine bromide (PYR) treatment on cardiac and autonomic function, as well as on inflammatory profile after myocardial infarction (MI), are unclear.

METHODS: Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to: control (C); sedentary+infarcted (I); sedentary+infarcted treated with PYR (IP); infarcted submitted to aerobic exercise training (IT); and infarcted submitted to treatment with PYR and aerobic exercise training (ITP). After 12weeks of ET (50-70% maximal running speed; 1h a day, 5days a week) and/or PYR treatment (0.14mg/mL on drink water), hemodynamic, autonomic and cytokines expression were performed.

RESULTS: We observed that both aerobic ET, associated or not with PYR treatment in MI animals, were able to: reduced MI area, improved systolic and diastolic function, baroreflex sensitivity, cardiovascular autonomic modulation, and tonic activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Also, they led to a reduction of inflammatory profile measured at plasma, left ventricle and soleus skeletal muscle. However, additional effects were observed when ET and PYR were associated, such as an increase in vagal tonus and modulation, reduction of MI area, interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), as well as an increase of interleukin-10/TNF-α ratio on left ventricle.

CONCLUSION: These data suggest that associating ET and PYR promotes some additional benefits on cardiovascular autonomic modulation and inflammatory profile in infarcted rats.