Endurance exercise preserves physical function in adult and older male C57BL/6 mice: high intensity interval training (HIIT) versus voluntary wheel running (VWR)

Exercise has been shown to improve physical function, mitigate aspects of chronic disease and to potentially alter the trajectory of age-related onset of frailty and sarcopenia. Reliable and valid preclinical models are necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanisms at the intersection of age, exercise, and functional decline. The purpose of this study was to compare, head to head, the effects of two common pre-clinical models of endurance exercise: high intensity interval training (HIIT) and voluntary wheel running (VWR). The hypothesis was that a prescribed and regimented exercise program, HIIT, would prove to be a superior training method to unregulated voluntary exercise, VWR. To investigate this hypothesis, we evaluated adult (n = 24, designated 10 m, aged 6 months at the beginning of the study, 10 months at its completion) and older adult (n = 18, designated 26 m, aging from 22 months to 26 months over the course of the study) C57BL/6 male mice. These mice were randomly assigned (with selection criteria) to a 13-week program of voluntary wheel running (VWR), high intensity interval training (HIIT), or sedentary control (SED). The functional aptitude of each mouse was determined pre- and post-training using our composite CFAB (comprehensive functional assessment battery) scoring system consisting of voluntary wheel running (volitional exercise and activity rate), treadmill (endurance), rotarod (overall motor function), grip meter (forelimb strength), and inverted cling (whole body strength/endurance). To measure sarcopenia, we tracked body mass, body composition (with EchoMRI), plantar flexor torque (in 10 m), and measured muscle wet mass post-training. Overall, adult CFAB scores decreased while body mass and percent body fat increased as they matured; however, exercise significantly mitigated the changes (p < 0.05) compared to SED. Older adults demonstrated preservation of function (CFAB) and reduced body fat (p < 0.05) compared to SED. To conclude, both types of exercise maintained physical function equally in older mice.