Table 1.
Coronary vessel and animal characteristics
| Characteristic | YMS | OMS | YME | OME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body weight, g | 368 ± 5 (43) | 460 ± 7* (28) | 367 ± 7 (29) | 416 ± 5*† (30) |
| Maximal diameter, μm | 157.7 ± 5.8 (39) | 154.6 ± 5.4 (36) | 151.5 ± 8.6 (23) | 168.8 ± 6.7 (39) |
| Wall thickness, μm | 11.8 ± 0.6 (23) | 14.6 ± 0.9* (19) | 10.0 ± 0.6 (11) | 12.8 ± 0.8* (21) |
| Spontaneous tone, % | 25.70 ± 1.46 (10) | 22.65 ± 2.70 (10) | 35.47 ± 4.46† (6) | 26.40 ± 1.54* (11) |
| Citrate synthase activity, μmol·min−1·g wet wt−1 | 16.03 ± 0.73 (25) | 12.45 ± 0.40* (21) | 23.49 ± 1.64† (20) | 22.69 ± 0.71† (25) |
| HW/BW, mg/g | 2.43 ± 0.05 (42) | 2.51 ± 0.05 (30) | 2.65 ± 0.06† (29) | 2.82 ± 0.06*† (28) |
| LV/HW, mg/g | 0.72 ± 0.02 (36) | 0.72 ± 0.03 (24) | 0.70 ± 0.03 (29) | 0.76 ± 0.02 (28) |
Values are means ± SE; nos. in parentheses, no. of rats. YMS, young male sedentary; OMS, old male sedentary; YME, young male exercise trained; OME, old male exercise trained; HW/BW, heart weight-to-body weight ratio; LV/HW, left ventricle weight-to-heart weight ratio.
*
P < 0.05 vs. corresponding young group. †P < 0.05 vs. age-matched sedentary group.