Introduction: Xanthine oxidase (XO) increases the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generartion , vascular function disorders and hypertension. On the other hand the ratio of monocyte to HDL (MHR) is a new indicator of resistant hypertension. However, there is still little evidence on the effect of aerobic exercise on these variables along with 24-hour blood pressure control in the population with RH, which was investigated in this study.
Methods: In this semi-experimental research, 30 eligible male volunteers with RH (age: 56.18 ± 5.42 years) were randomly divided into two control (n=10) and training (n=20) groups . The training group participated for 12 weeks and three sessions per week for 20 to 40 minutes with an intensity of 50 to 70% of HRR or 11 to 14 Borg Scale. Before and after the intervention, serum xanthine oxidase activity, total cholesterol (TC), HDL, MHR and components of diastolic, systolic and mean arterial blood pressure related to 24-hour blood pressure (ABP) and office blood pressure (OBP) were measured. Independent t-tests, correlated t-tests, Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear univariate regression were used for data analysis.
Results: In the training group, an increase in aerobic fitness and HDLwas observed along with a decrease in serum XO activity, TC and MHR ratio, as well as a decrease in all components of both types of blood pressure, ABP and OBP (P < 0.05 in all cases). No significant correlation was observed between the changes in ABP, OBP, XO activity and MHR (P<0.05 in all cases). Also, the amount of ABP changes due to aerobic exercise could not be predicted from the initial value of any of the studied variables (p<0.05).
Conclusion: In patients with RH, aerobic exercise with moderate intensity has significant effects on improving 24-hour and office blood pressure, which occurs independently of XO and MHR blood activity and is not correlated with the initial value of blood pressure in these patients. These findings suggest aerobic exercise as a safe and efficient non-pharmacological intervention for these patients, and also indicate the need to pay attention to both ABP and OBP for diagnostic and prescription evaluations in these patients.