Effects of exercise‐training on hypoxia and angiotensin II‐induced pulmonary vasoconstrictions

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to determine whether exercise-training for 6 weeks would inhibit pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by hypoxia in isolated, blood-perfused rat lungs. Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) and angiotensin II (AII)-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction were significantly less in the exercise-trained (ET) group than in the control (cont) group with all challenges. Normoxic pulmonary arterial and capillary pressures in the ET group were significantly lower than those in the cont group and capillary pressor response to hypoxia was less in the ET group than in the cont group. In conclusion, it appears that HPV and AII-induced vasoconstrictions can be reduced by exercise-training, because it would seem that exercise-training repeated responses to increased shear-stress resulting from elevated blood flow in pulmonary vessels.