The skeletal muscle VEGF mRNA response to acute exercise in patients with chronic heart failure

Abstract

In seven patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and six controls, we examined (a) resting and post-exercise muscle vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA levels and (b) their relationship with muscle structure and function. Muscle biopsies were taken after 30 min of single-leg knee-extensor exercise at 50% of maximum work rate (50% WR_max) from both the exercised and rested legs. Muscle blood flow and O₂ uptake were measured during exercise. Resting VEGF mRNA levels were not different between patients and controls and both groups upregulated VEGF mRNA equally in response to acute exercise. Patients had lower , , and mitochondrial density but similar capillarity and fiber area. These findings reveal a normal basal level of muscle VEGF mRNA, its appropriate upregulation in response to acute exercise and, despite increased vascular resistance during exercise, a normal skeletal muscle vascular structure in patients with CHF.

Keywords::

• CHF
• muscle
• acute exercise
• VEGF
• morphology

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the patients and control subjects for their committed participation in this study. At the time of the study, Prof. Esposito was on leave from the University of Brescia, Italy. He was partly supported by ‘Centro per lo Studio del Trattamento dello Scompenso Cardiaco’, University of Brescia.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.