The effect of physical exercise on elastase-induced emphysema in hamsters.

Abstract

The effect of physical exercise on the evolution of elastase-induced emphysema was investigated with morphometric methods in hamsters. The animals were given an intratracheal injection of 0.1 mg of pancreatic elastase and were divided into rest and exercise groups. Exercise was done in motor-driven activity wheels for 4 h/day, 5 days/wk. Controls consisting of animals given a saline injection followed the same schedule. One wk after the insult, both elastase-treated groups (rest and exercise) showed significant emphysematous changes, as assessed by an increase of the mean linear intercept and a decrease of the internal surface area of the lungs. By the fifth wk, emphysema had progressed significantly (approximately 20%) in both elastase groups. However, at neither point was there a significant difference between the rest and exercise groups. At 35 days, ultrastructural morphometry of the heart revealed a significant decrease in the percentage of mitochondria and an increase in the percentage of contractil...