Twelve weeks of treadmill exercise does not alter age-dependent chronic kidney disease in the Fisher 344 male rat

摘要

Non-technical summaryIn older people, the function of the kidney deteriorates, and one possible way to slow this process down is through exercise. Exercise increases the abundance of important enzymes that are needed for optimal vessel health and kidney function, for instance the nitric oxide synthase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes. It also reduces oxidative stress, a type of cellular injury caused by highly reactive molecules. When we compared young and old sedentary rats to young and old exercise-trained (12 weeks treadmill) rats, we found that exercise was not effective in reversing the age-related kidney changes. In old rats, renal function declined as did the abundance of the protective SOD enzymes, and oxidative stress increased; interestingly, exercise did not influence these changes. Our results suggest that the cardiovascular benefits of exercise do not necessarily extend to the kidney.