Aortic diastolic pressure decay modulates relation between worsened aortic stiffness and myocardial oxygen supply/demand balance after resistance exercise

High-intensity resistance exercise (RE) increases aortic stiffness and decreases the index of myocardial oxygen supply/demand balance (Buckberg index, BI); there is a correlation between the changes in these parameters. Central hemodynamics during diastole can explain the correlation. We aimed to investigate whether the aortic diastolic decay index mediates the association between changes in aortic stiffness and BI by high-intensity RE. We evaluated the effect of high-intensity RE on aortic stiffness, BI, aortic decay index, and their associations in 52 young men. Subjects were studied under parallel experimental conditions on two separate days. The order of experiments was randomized between RE (5 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% of 1-repetition maximum) and sham control (seated rest). Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV; index of aortic stiffness), BI, and aortic decay index were measured in all subjects. Aortic decay index was quantified by fitting an exponential curve: P(t) = P₀e^-λt (where λ is decay index, P₀ is end-systolic pressure and t is time from end-systole). Aortic PWV and decay index increased and BI decreased after RE. RE conditions showed that change in the aortic decay index was associated with changes in aortic PWV and changes in aortic PWV were related to changes in BI, although the PWV-BI relationship was not significant after accounting for decay index change. Mediation analysis revealed the mediating effect of the aortic decay index on the relationship between changes in aortic PWV and BI. The present findings suggest that high-intensity RE-induced aortic stiffening worsens myocardial viability by accelerating aortic diastolic exponential decay.