HIIT versus MICT on Blood Pressure and Cardiac Biomarkers in L-NAME-induced Hypertensive Rats

Hypertension remains a major global health burden, yet the optimal exercise strategy to mitigate its associated inflammatory and oxidative stress responses is still unclear. This study aimed to compare the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, including serum IL-6, NOX4, and cardiac tissue MMP-2 in a rat model of hypertension. Hypertension was induced in male Wistar rats through L-NAME administration for five weeks, during which the rats concurrently underwent HIIT or MICT. L-NAME administration resulted in a progressive increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) by week five compared to control rats. L-NAME significantly increased serum IL-6 and NOX4 levels but did not significantly affect cardiac MMP-2 expression. MICT significantly reduced SBP and NOX4 levels, whereas IL-6 and MMP-2 levels remained unchanged. In contrast, HIIT did not produce significant reductions in SBP, IL-6, NOX4, or MMP-2. Statistical significance was defined as p ≤ 0.05. In conclusion, these findings indicate that MICT is more effective than HIIT in reducing elevated SBP and NOX4 levels in L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats.