The Effect of Combined Training on ABCG5 and ABCG8 in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients

Aims Coronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of mortality in modern societies. The disease is associated with the lack of physical activity and the expression of some genes involved in blood cholesterol transportation. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporters G5/G8) ABCG5 and ABCG8) is the expression of adenosine triphosphate-dependent box protein genes 5 and 8, a member of the ABC transporter family, playing a crucial role in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lipoproteins metabolism. The action of ABCG5/8 is to remove cholesterol and decrease its toxicity. The increased activity of these two factors may prevent atherosclerosis. This study aims to investigate the effect of eight weeks of aerobic resistance training on ABCG5 and ABCG8 gene expression in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients. Methods & Materials The research population included 30 men voluntarily selected and randomly divided into an experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) group. The experimental group performed aerobic resistance training for eight weeks (3 sessions per week) and the control group had no exercise. The blood samples were taken 48 hours before the beginning of the first training session and 48 hours after the last training session while all subjects were fasting. Semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to measure the expression of ABCG5 and ABCG8 genes. To analyze the data, independent and paired t tests were used at the significant level of 0.05 in SPSS software, version 21.  Findings The present study results showed that the aerobic resistance training group experienced a significant increase in the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of ABCG5 and ABCG8 genes as a result of eight weeks of aerobic resistance training compared to the control group.  Conclusion Based on the findings of the present study, it is possible to suggest that aerobic resistance training increases the expression of ABCG5 and ABCG8 genes, and improves the cholesterol transportation process, which may improve recovery of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients and prevent cardiovascular diseases.