Expressão de mediadores inflamatórios em testículos e dosagem hormonal de ratos espontaneamente hipertensos submetidos ao treinamento intervalado de alta intensidade

Abstract

Hypertension is an age-related non-communicable chronic disease that causes a decline in the functioning of target organs, including the testis, as it is associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation. Inflammatory cytokines increase with hypertension and cause inflammation and tissue injury. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has shown promise as a non-pharmacological treatment for hypertensive individuals, but it is still unknown how it would act on the testicles of hypertensive individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of HIIT on testicular inflammation and on plasma hormone concentration in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Male SHR were divided into two groups: SHR (control, n=9); and HIIT (SHR undergoing HIIT on a treadmill, 5 days/week, for 8 weeks, n=10). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was checked in the animals. At the end of the experiment, the animals were euthanized and the plasma and testes were collected. Fragments of one of the testicles of the rats were frozen and then used for RNA extraction using the TRIzol® protocol. Gene expressions of inflammatory mediators (Tnfα and Il6) were quantified by RT-qPCR. The combination of two reference genes (Hprt1 and Rps18) was used to normalize the reaction. The other testicle of the rats was used to make slides for the immunohistochemistry of TNFα and IL6. Plasma dosages of testosterone and corticosterone were performed by radioimmunoassay and prolactin by enzymeimmunoassay. The statistical analysis performed was unpaired Student's t test, except for testosterone which was the Mann-Whitney test (P<0.05). Animals that participated in HIIT had a lower SBP value. The groups did not show significant difference in the concentration of plasma hormones. The HIIT group had lower TNFα and IL6 immunostaining than the SHR and lower systolic blood pressure (P<0.05). It is concluded that HIIT for two months is effective in reducing inflammatory mediators in the testes of hypertensive rats.