Appropriate treadmill exercise improves survival after gut ischemia reperfusion in mice

Summary Background＆aims It is unclear whether or not an appropriate prehabilitation protocol ameliorates surgical stress, ultimately improves survival after severe surgical insults. Methods Male C57BL/6J mice received treadmill exercise according to the following protocols. Exp.1) Sixty-min treadmill running at 20 m/min. The exercise sessions were 5 days/week for 2 weeks, 3 days/week for 2 weeks or 3 days/week for 3 weeks (n = 29). Sedentary mice (n = 6) did not perform treadmill exercise. After finishing each protocol, the exercise completion rate was evaluated. All mice which had completed the protocol (n = 24) underwent 45 min superior mesenteric artery occlusion and reperfusion (Gut I/R) and survival after gut I/R was observed. Exp.2) According to the results of Exp.1, the exercise frequency and duration were set at 3 days/week for 3 weeks. To determine the appropriate running speed, mice (n = 94) ran on the treadmill for 60 min at 12, 15 or 18 m/min, while sedentary mice (n = 25) did not. The exercise completion rate and survival were observed. Results Exp.1) The 3 days/week for 3 weeks exercise protocol showed the highest survival rate. However, the completion rate of each exercise group was only 50–60%. Exp.2) The completion rates at 15 m/min and 18 m/min were both approximately 90%. None of the 12 m/min group failed to complete the protocol. The 12 m/min and 15 m/min treadmill running groups showed equally improved survival as compared to the sedentary group (p  Conclusions An appropriate exercise protocol improves survival after gut I/R in mice. Prehabilitation strengthens resistance to severe surgical insults.