The effect of cardiac rehabilitation on plasma levels of cellular adhesion molecules VCAM-1, ICAM-1 in coronary patients after CABG

Coronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in today's society. This disease is associated with exercise. Factors affecting VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 are paths in the treatment of this disease that are reduced by exercise. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of eight weeks of combined aerobic and resistance training on plasma levels of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 cell adhesion molecules in patients after CABG. The present study was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test design. Thirty middle-aged men after coronary artery bypass graft surgery were randomly divided into two groups: combined aerobic and resistance training (15) and control group (15). The experimental group performed combined rehabilitation exercises for eight weeks (3 sessions per week) and the control group received no training during this period. Blood samples were taken 48 hours before and after the training period in order to measure the desired blood indices. Independent t-test was used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups in the plasma levels of cell adhesive molecules VCAM-1, ICAM-1, but after the implementation of aerobic training and resistance training protocol, a significant decrease in gene expression of plasma levels of cell adhesive molecules VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 were observed in the experimental group and in comparison with the control group (p≤0.001). The results of the present study indicated that aerobic and resistance training in middle-aged patients after coronary artery bypass surgery resulted in plasma levels of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 cell adhesion molecules. It seems that the present training protocol as a combined rehabilitation protocol can be identified as improving cardiovascular function and preventing cardiovascular disease.