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Poole DC, Copp SW, Colburn TD, Craig JC, Allen DL, Sturek M, O'Leary DS, Zucker IH, Musch TI. Guidelines for animal exercise and training protocols for cardiovascular studies. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2020; 318:H1100-H1138. [PMID: 32196357 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00697.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Whole body exercise tolerance is the consummate example of integrative physiological function among the metabolic, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. Depending on the animal selected, the energetic demands and flux through the oxygen transport system can increase two orders of magnitude from rest to maximal exercise. Thus, animal models in health and disease present the scientist with flexible, powerful, and, in some instances, purpose-built tools to explore the mechanistic bases for physiological function and help unveil the causes for pathological or age-related exercise intolerance. Elegant experimental designs and analyses of kinetic parameters and steady-state responses permit acute and chronic exercise paradigms to identify therapeutic targets for drug development in disease and also present the opportunity to test the efficacy of pharmacological and behavioral countermeasures during aging, for example. However, for this promise to be fully realized, the correct or optimal animal model must be selected in conjunction with reproducible tests of physiological function (e.g., exercise capacity and maximal oxygen uptake) that can be compared equitably across laboratories, clinics, and other proving grounds. Rigorously controlled animal exercise and training studies constitute the foundation of translational research. This review presents the most commonly selected animal models with guidelines for their use and obtaining reproducible results and, crucially, translates state-of-the-art techniques and procedures developed on humans to those animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Poole
- Department of Kinesiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.,Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
| | - Steven W Copp
- Department of Kinesiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
| | - Trenton D Colburn
- Department of Kinesiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
| | - Jesse C Craig
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.,Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - David L Allen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Michael Sturek
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Donal S O'Leary
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Irving H Zucker
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Timothy I Musch
- Department of Kinesiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.,Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
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Abstract
Numerous animal cardiac exercise models using animal subjects have been established to uncover the cardiovascular physiological mechanism of exercise or to determine the effects of exercise on cardiovascular health and disease. In most cases, animal-based cardiovascular exercise modalities include treadmill running, swimming, and voluntary wheel running with a series of intensities, times, and durations. Those used animals include small rodents (e.g., mice and rats) and large animals (e.g., rabbits, dogs, goats, sheep, pigs, and horses). Depending on the research goal, each experimental protocol should also describe whether its respective exercise treatment can produce the anticipated acute or chronic cardiovascular adaptive response. In this chapter, we will briefly describe the most common kinds of animal models of acute and chronic cardiovascular exercises that are currently being conducted and are likely to be chosen in the near future. Strengths and weakness of animal-based cardiac exercise modalities are also discussed.
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