Effects of voluntary running exercise on blood pressure and renin-angiotensin system in spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive Wistar-Kyotorats

The effect of a voluntary running exercise on blood pressure and renin-angi otensin system (RAS) was studied in male spontaneously hypertensive rats (S HR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). SHR and WKY were assigned to either voluntary running exercise or sedentary control groups at 5 wk of ag e. The systolic blood pressure in the exercised group for both strains of r ats was significantly lower than in the sedentary control group. The plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma renin concentration (PRC) were significant ly lower in voluntary running exercised SHR than in sedentary SHR, whereas the same exercise did not result in a lower PRA and PRC in WKY. These resul ts suggested that the blood pressure lowering effect of voluntary running e xercise is related to the suppression of RAS in SHR.