The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Angiogenesis Factors in Middle-aged Women

Background and Aim: Aging is a process, in which the physiological capacity of the body decreases. One of these basic changes is the reduction of blood supply caused by the inability of angiogenesis. This article was conducted to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise on angiogenic factors, including leucine-rich α-۲-glycoprotein ۱ (LRG-۱) and thrombospondin-۱ (TSP-۱) in middle-aged women. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on ۱۸ middle-aged women. The samples were randomly divided into two groups, including the aerobic (n=۹) and control (n=۹) groups. The experimental group performed aerobic exercise for eight weeks (three sessions per week). Then, ۵ mL of blood samples was taken from each person ۴۸ hours before and after training to measure LRG-۱ and TSP-۱ protein levels. The dependent and independent t-tests were used to analyze the data. Results: The levels of LRG-۱ in the experimental group showed a significant increase in post-test compared to the control group. Also, in the experimental group, TSP-۱ levels showed a significant decrease in post-test compared to the control group. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that aerobic exercise can increase the levels of LRG-۱ protein and decrease the serum TSP-۱ protein levels; therefore, by increasing LRG-۱ and decreasing TSP-۱ levels, the angiogenesis process in the body is enhanced. Accordingly, middle-aged women are advised to do aerobic exercise as a tool to improve angiogenesis and improve blood circulation.