Contribution of mitochondrial function to exercise-induced attenuation of renal dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

It is well known that exercise training exhibits renal protective effects in animal models of hypertension and chronic renal failure. However, the mechanisms regulating these effects of exercise training remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of mitochondrial function in exercise-induced attenuation of renal injury in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The adult male SHR and age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were given moderate-intensity exercise for 12 weeks or treated with MitoQ10 for 8 weeks. In this work, exercise training in SHR reduced blood pressure, and effectively attenuated renal dysfunction, marked by reduced creatinine excretion, albuminuria, blood urea nitrogen, and glomerular sclerosis. Exercise training in SHR reduced MDA levels in plasma and kidneys and suppressed formation of 3-nitrotyrosine in kidneys. Exercise training suppressed mitochondrial ROS and [Formula: see text] formation, enhanced ATP formation, reduced mitochondrial swelling, and restored electron transport chain enzyme activity in kidneys of SHR. Furthermore, exercise training upregulated protein expression of uncoupling protein 2 and manganese superoxide dismutase in kidneys of SHR. In addition, treatment with mitochondria-targeted antioxidant MitoQ10 exhibited similar renal protective effects in SHR. In conclusion, chronic aerobic exercise training preserved mitochondrial function and abated oxidative stress in the kidneys of SHR, which may in part explain the protective effect of exercise on renal function and structure in hypertensive individuals.