Gene expression of hemostasis biomarkers following HIIT and RIPC

To prevent and manage cardiovascular risk factors, two effective strategies are remote ischemic preconditioning and regular exercise training. The objective of this study was to examine how these strategies might affect gene expression of hemostasis biomarkers in middle-aged male Wistar rats. Twenty-four male Wistar rats (12-month-old) were randomly assigned to four groups: high-intensity interval training (HIIT), remote ischemic preconditioning +HIIT (RIPC+HIIT), sham-HIIT (S-HIIT), sham-RIPC+HIIT (S-RIPC+HIIT). The experimental groups followed specific exercise protocols three times per week. The HIIT involved a 5-min warm-up period at 40–50% vVO₂max, followed by 6 sets of 2-min high-intensity exercise at 85–90% vVO₂max, interspersed by 5-min inactive recovery. The session ended with a 5-min cool down at 40–50% vVO₂max. The remote ischemic preconditioning procedure was applied on the left lower limb by using a sphygmomanometer in three 5-min cycles of ischemia (pressure of 220 mm Hg) followed by 5 min of reperfusion (pressure of 0 mm Hg). After 3 weeks, the animals were sacrificed 48 h after their last exercise session, and heart tissue was harvested and analyzed with qRT-PCR method for the tissue factor (TF), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI), and tissue plasminogen activator t-PA gene expression. Both experimental protocols led to a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in TF and PAI-1 gene expression. However, t-PA was elevated significantly in both RIPC+HIIT and HIIT compared to the sham groups (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that a 3-week regimen of HIIT and RIPC+HIIT can lead to a significant reduction in coagulant factors and enhance fibrinolysis. Therefore, it is concluded that both HIIT and RIPC+HIIT interventions may affect hemostasis system through similar cellular mechanisms; however, it seems HIIT alone can be efficient to enhance cardiovascular health.