Difference between spontaneous aging and aerobic exercise during aging on the capillary architecture in the tibial nerve in rats (LB69)

The impairment of the peripheral nerve with aging is associated with capillary degradation and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the capillary architecture in the tibial nerve spontaneously declines with age and whether aerobic exercise in aged period promotes vascularization of the tibial nerve in rats. The rats were divided into control (Cont), elderly (Elder) and elderly with aerobic exercise (Elder+Ex) groups. Aerobic training of low intensity was performed over 10 weeks starting at 96 weeks of age in the Elder+Ex group. The capillary diameter and number of microvascular ramifications in the tibial nerve were compared among the Cont (20-weeks-old), Elder (106-weeks-old) and Elder+Ex (106-weeks-old) groups using three-dimensional images gained from confocal laser scanning microscopy. The capillary diameter and number of microvascular ramifications in the Elder group were significantly lower than that of the Cont and Elder+Ex groups. These findings suggest that the capillaries ...