Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Journal of Eexercise & Organ Cross Talk

A single daily 10-second sprint snack can improve left ventricular redox balance in male wistar rats

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Fatemeh Pilehvar 1
Mohammad Rahmani 2
Ali Samadi 2

1 MSc in Exercise Physiology, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22122/jeoct.2026.591781.1218
Abstract
Exercise snacks are time-efficient physical-activity strategies, but the cardiac redox effects of a single ultra-short daily sprint are unknown. This study examined whether one daily 10-second sprint snack modifies left ventricular oxidant-antioxidant balance in male Wistar rats. Twelve male Wistar rats were randomized to control (CO, n = 6) and single daily sprint snack (DSS, n = 6) groups. After treadmill familiarization and maximal treadmill running speed assessment, the DSS group performed one daily sprint, six days per week, for eight weeks. Forty-eight hours after the final session, left ventricular tissue was analyzed for malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Compared with CO, DSS reduced MDA (p = 0.004) and increased SOD (p = 0.011), GPx (p = 0.010), and TAC (p < 0.001). All four outcomes remained statistically significant in a post hoc Holm sensitivity analysis. A single daily 10-second sprint snack favorably modified left ventricular redox biomarkers in male Wistar rats. These findings support a minimal-volume model of redox adaptation, although effects on exercise performance, cardiac structure, and cardiac function remain to be established.

What is already known on this subject?

Exercise snacks can improve cardiometabolic and fitness outcomes, and repeated exercise can strengthen endogenous antioxidant defenses through redox-sensitive adaptation. Heart-specific redox effects of a single ultra-short daily sprint, however, remain poorly characterized.

 

What this study adds?

In male Wistar rats, one approximately 8-10-s sprint per day, six days per week for eight weeks, reduced left ventricular MDA and increased SOD, GPx, and TAC. The findings remained significant in a post hoc Holm sensitivity analysis and support a minimal-volume redox adaptation without establishing functional cardioprotection.

Keywords

Sprint snack
Lipid peroxidation
Antioxidant capacity
Left ventricle
Subjects

Acknowledgements

The authors express their gratitude to the people who participated in this study and to their research staff.

Funding

This study received no funding from public, commercial, or non-profit Organizations.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest the authors declare that there is no conflict of interest in the present research.

Ethical approval All procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee of Shahed University (IR.Shahed.Rec.1400.005) and conducted in accordance with applicable Iranian guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals.

Informed consent Animal study.

Author contributions

Conceptualization: F.P.,; Methodology: M.R.,; Software: A.S.,; Validation: F.P.,; Formal analysis: M.R.,; Investigation: A.S.; Resources: F.P.,; Data curation: M.R.,; Writing -original draft: A.S.,; Writing–review & editing: F.P.,; Visualization: A.S.,; Supervision: M.R.; Project administration: F.P.; Funding acquisition: M.R.

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Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 19 September 2026

  • Receive Date 14 July 2026
  • Revise Date 17 September 2026
  • Accept Date 19 September 2026

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