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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 90/5/763    most recent expphysiol.2005.031138v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Suzuki, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Suzuki, J. Related Collections Human, Environmental & Exercise

¹ Laboratory of Sports Physiology, Research and Education Center for Winter Sports, Hokkaido University of Education, Ainosato 5-3, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 002-8502, Japan

This study was designed to examine whether dietary L-arginine supplementation modulates exercise-induced angiogenesis and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in female Wistar rats. Exercise training (running) lasted for 6 weeks at 25 m min^–1 on a 20% gradient for 10–60 min day^–1. Rats in the L-arginine-treated groups drank water containing 4% L-arginine. Histochemical identification of capillary profiles showed that training with L-arginine significantly increased the capillary/fibre (C/F) ratio in the subendocardium of the left ventricle, whereas training alone did not. Because of a significantly higher fibre cross-sectional area, a concomitant, but not significant, decrease in capillary density was also observed. In the hindleg muscles, training with L-arginine significantly increased the C:F ratio, although the degree of change was the same as that observed after training alone. Western blot analysis showed that training with L-arginine significantly increased VEGF protein expression by 1.7-fold in the left ventricle, while the increase with training alone was insignificant. In the soleus muscle, although VEGF protein expression was elevated insignificantly after training (2.8-fold), training with L-arginine significantly increased the protein levels (3.8-fold). Tissue endothelial nitric oxide synthase protein levels did not changed after either training or L-arginine treatment. The present results suggest that L-arginine supplementation causes additional effects on exercise-induced angiogenesis in the rat heart by promoting VEGF expression.

(Received 31 May 2005; accepted after revision 6 July 2005; first published online 7 July 2005)
Corresponding author J. Suzuki: Research and Education Center for Winter Sports, Hokkaido University of Education, Ainosato 5-3, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 002-8502, Japan. Email: suzuki{at}sap.hokkyodai.ac.jp