Response of Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Expression of Angiogenic Cytokine Genes in Preconditioning with Resistance Training in Elderly Men

Introduction: Impairment in the endothelial function starts with aging; however, it can be reduced or prevented by regular exercise. This study aimed to investigate the response and compatibility of endothelial progenitor cells and to evaluate the gene expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) after eight weeks of resistance training in the elderly. Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 24 elderly men were randomly divided into equal experimental and control groups. Blood samples were collected in four stages, that is, before and after one session of resistance training (chest press, calf press, squats, leg curls, leg extensions, and underhand cable pushdowns) and before and after eight weeks of resistance training (bicep, tricep, quadricep, calf, chest, shoulder, and abdomen exercises). The samples were examined for the expression of HIF-1 and VEGF genes, and a flow cytometric analysis of endothelial progenitor cells from the mononuclear cell population of blood tissue was carried out. A mixed-design repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used in SPSS (P<0.05) to investigate the differences between the groups. Results: The number of endothelial progenitor cells in the pretest and the first posttest increased in the experimental group, compared to the control group. Also, the gene expression of HIF-1 in the experimental group increased compared to the control group in the first posttest, pretest, and second posttest. As well as, the expression of VEGF gene increased in the experimental group in comparison with the control group in the first posttest, pretest, and second posttest. Conclusion: The present findings suggested that resistance training could be effective in the repair and regeneration of arteries after injuries, especially in the elderly.