Effect of Exercise Training on Antioxidative Enzymes in Hearts of Rats with High and Low Genetically Determined Exercise Capacity

Background: Aerobic exercise capacity is in large parts genetically determined. In an established rat model of high (HCR) and low (LCR) genetically determined, intrinsic exercise capacity, the rat's performance on a treadmill differs by a factor of up to eight. In these rats, high intrinsic exercise capacity is related to higher mitochondrial respiration rates and is associated with higher ROS production. We thus assessed the corresponding antioxidative capacity in hearts of HCR and LCR and its adaption to additional exercise training.