Abstract P194: Voluntary Exercise Eliminates Maternal Gestational Hypertension-induced Hypertensive Response Sensitization (htrs) In Post-weaning High Fat Diet Fed Male Adult Offspring

Abstract

Exercise has profound effects on cardiovascular function and metabolism in both physiological and pathophysiological states. Our previous studies demonstrated that maternal gestational hypertension (MGHT) induces hypertensive response sensitization (HTRS) elicited by post-weaning high fat diet (HFD) in male offspring. The present study tested whether voluntary exercise would protect against MGHT-induced HTRS in HFD fed male offspring. Male offspring from both normotensive (NT) and MGHT dams were given access to either “blocked” (sedentary offspring) or functional running (exercised offspring) wheels for 10 weeks during normal fat diet (NFD) or HFD feeding. HFD feeding significantly increased resting blood pressure (BP) in sedentary offspring of both NT (112.3±0.7 to 119.9±1.2 mmHg, p<0.05) and MGHT (112.5±0.9 to 129.6±1.0 mmHg, p<0.05) dams, but the elevated BP induced by HFD was greater in sedentary offspring of MGHT dams (129.6±1.0 vs. 119.9±1.2 mmHg, p<0.05). The sedentary offspring of MGHT dams also displayed greater sympathetic tone and enhanced pressor responses to centrally administrated angiotensin (ANG) II or leptin. The running distance was comparable in four groups of exercise offspring (9.183±1.183, 9.192±1.677, 7.233±1.080, 8.482±1.455 kilometers/day, p>0.05). Voluntary exercise did not alter BP in NFD fed offspring and HFD fed offspring of NT dams, but it attenuated BP in HFD fed offspring of MGHT dams (129.6±1.0 to 121.1±0.8 mmHg, p<0.05) and body weight and heart rate in all offspring. Moreover, voluntary exercise significantly reduced sympathetic tone (Hexamethonium, ip, MAP Δ-50.6±1.0 to Δ-29.7±2.7 mmHg, p<0.05) and pressor responses to central ANG II and leptin in HFD fed offspring of both NT (ANG II: Δ16.0±0.9 to Δ7.5±1.1 mmHg; leptin: Δ11.8±0.6 to Δ5.4±0.9 mmHg, p<0.05) and MGHT (ANG II: Δ24.3±2.1 to Δ7.6±1.8 mmHg; leptin: Δ16.8±0.9 to Δ5.2±1.0 mmHg, p<0.05) dams and eliminated the differences in these responses between NFD fed offspring and HFD fed offspring. These results indicate that exercise training plays a beneficial role in preventing MGHT-induced HTRS and that this effect is associated with reduced brain reactivity to pressor stimuli and centrally driven sympathetic activity.