The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of low-intensity cardiac rehabilitation exercise on the cardiac function and the degree of fibrosis in an older white rat model. This study used male Sprague- Dawley white rats that were 50 weeks old. After the acute myocardial infarction induction, Twenty of the rats were randomly allocated into an experimental group and a control group, and each of the groups consisted of 8 rats. In the experimental group, the exercise was conducted for six weeks, 30 minutes a day, five days a week, using a Rotarod treadmill for animals. The degree of myocardial fibrosis was significantly repressed in the experimental group(13.69±1.90%) and in the control group(15.67±1.54%)(p<0.05). However, fractional shortening and ejection fraction did not show a significant difference. The results of this study suggest that cardiac rehabilitation with low intensity treadmill exercise repress the myocardial fibrosis.

• Sung Ha Ji(Jungang Seng Korean Oriental Hospital)
• Ki Jong Kim(Cheongam College, Suncheon, Korea)