Department of Physiology, Geert Grooteplein-noord 21, 6525 EZ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Hypertension. 2010 Aug;56(2):240-6. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.110.152868. Epub 2010 Jun 7.
Physical inactivity is a potent stimulus for vascular remodeling, leading to a marked decrease in conduit artery diameter. However, little is known about the impact of physical inactivity on artery wall thickness or wall:lumen ratio or the potential of exercise countermeasures to modify artery wall thickness. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of 60 days of bed rest, with or without exercise countermeasures, on carotid and superficial femoral artery wall thickness. Eighteen men were assigned to bed rest (second Berlin Bed Rest Study) and randomly allocated to control, resistive exercise, or resistive vibration exercise. Both exercise countermeasures were applied 3 times per week while the subjects were in the supine position on the bed. Sonography was used to examine baseline diameter and wall thickness of the carotid and femoral arteries. Bed rest decreased diameter of the superficial femoral artery (P=0.001) but not the carotid artery (P=0.29). Bed rest induced a significant increase in carotid and superficial femoral artery wall thickness (P=0.007 and 0.03) and wall:lumen ratio (P=0.009 and 0.001). Exercise prevented the increase in wall thickness of the carotid artery. In addition, exercise partly prevented the increased wall:lumen ratio in the superficial femoral artery. In conclusion, 8 weeks of bed rest resulted in approximately 20% increase in conduit artery wall thickness. Exercise countermeasures completely (carotid artery) or partly (superficial femoral artery) abolished the increase in wall thickness. These findings suggest that conduit artery wall thickness, a vascular characteristic associated previously with atherosclerosis, can rapidly adapt to physical inactivity and exercise in humans.
身体活动不足是血管重构的有力刺激因素，导致输送动脉直径明显减小。然而，对于身体活动不足对动脉壁厚度或壁腔比的影响，以及运动对策改变动脉壁厚度的潜力，人们知之甚少。本研究的目的是研究 60 天卧床休息对颈动脉和股浅动脉壁厚度的影响，其中包括有无运动对策。18 名男性被分配到卧床休息（第二次柏林卧床休息研究）中，并随机分配到对照组、抗阻运动组或抗阻振动运动组。当受试者躺在床上时，这两种运动对策都每周应用 3 次，采用仰卧位。超声检查用于检测颈动脉和股浅动脉的基础直径和壁厚度。卧床休息降低了股浅动脉的直径（P=0.001），但对颈动脉没有影响（P=0.29）。卧床休息导致颈动脉和股浅动脉壁厚度显著增加（P=0.007 和 0.03）和壁腔比增加（P=0.009 和 0.001）。运动预防了颈动脉壁厚度的增加。此外，运动部分预防了股浅动脉壁厚度增加的壁腔比。总之，8 周的卧床休息导致输送动脉壁厚度增加了约 20%。运动对策完全（颈动脉）或部分（股浅动脉）消除了壁厚度的增加。这些发现表明，与动脉粥样硬化相关的血管特征之一——输送动脉壁厚度可以迅速适应身体活动不足和运动。
