Purpose: To quantify the capillaries in the skeletal muscular tissue of mice with induced peripheral arterial insufficiency, after endurance training.
Method: It was used Wistar mice in 70 days age range, subjected to the total occlusion of right femoral artery. The animals were divided into two groups: sedentary group (SG; n = 05), subjected to activities in the cage; and trained group (TG; n = 05), subjected to an endurance training in cycle ergometer twice a day 17m/min, by 5 minutes, 5 days per week during 10 weeks. The analysis was realized by the histologic observation of the vastus medialis muscle of injured member.
Results: The average number of capillaries in the muscular tissue was greater in TG (5,2 +/- 0,83) than in SG (1,6 +/- 1,14) (p < 0,05).
Conclusion: In animals with induction of peripheral arterial insufficiency, the endurance training provides a process of muscular adaptation which is observed by the increase in the number of capillaries of animals subjected to this kind of training.