Exercise training may reduce fragmented mitochondria in the ischemic-reperfused heart through DRP1.

Mitochondrial fission is a key trigger of cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injuries (IR). Exercise training is an efficient cardioprotective strategy, but its impact on mitochondrial fragmentation during IR remains unknown. Using isolated rat hearts, we found that exercise training limited the activation of dynamin-like protein 1 and limited mitochondrial fragmentation during IR. These results support the hypothesis that exercise training contributes to cardioprotection through its capacity to modulate the mitochondrial fragmentation during IR.