Early exercise training improves ischemic outcome in rats by cerebral hemodynamics

•Early exercise improved cerebral blood flow and neurological function.•Blood flow enhanced shear stress.•Stress reduced endothelial apoptosis for functional recovery.

This study examined whether very early initiated physical rehabilitation (VEIPR), as a recommended therapy for postischemia, could improve motor performance and cerebral blood flow (CBF). Adult male rats with ischemic injury caused by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) were trained to run on a treadmill for 30 min per day at 12 m/min. Through such exercise training for 3 days, the ischemic rats exhibited increased motor function and decreased infarct volume, as measured by a behavioral score and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining method, as well as accelerated CBF, as detected with laser speckle imaging (LSI). Furthermore, to determine whether the observed improved CBF provided the protective factor for motor function recovery, we investigated the apoptosis of ischemic rat brain microvascular endothelial cells (rBMECs), which accepted the mechanical force of CBF directly, under flow intervention. The findings indicated that a modest flow decreased cell apoptosis in the ischemic condition and that this effect is magnitude dependent, as excessive flow increased apoptosis.