The Effect of High Intensity Interval Training on Heart Apoptosis of Young Rats

Interval training may challenge the protective effect of heart against cell death. However, the protective role of exercise in preventing apoptosis is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of high intensity interval training on apoptosis in young rats’ heart. 30 male young Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups. The training program included six weeks of interval training, six sessions per week, 30 minutes each session with the speed of 25-70 m/min. with 10 one-minute repetitions and 2-minute active rest. Sampling of the heart tissue was conducted 48 hours after the last training session. In order to investigate the apoptosis, the heart tissue was placed in 10% formalin fixative solution. The apoptotic cells were labeled with non-radioactive method. The one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test at the significance level (P≤0.005) were used for data analysis. Immunohistochemistry results showed that 6 weeks of HIIT significantly increased 320 and 200% (P≤0.001) of apoptosis in experimental group compared with the 6-week control group and baseline group. These findings delineate a novel, age‐dependent interaction which activated apoptotic pathway by HITT, but such reaction is unclear in adolescents and children and further research is needed. Thus it is necessary to consider training concerns when designing HITT for them.