This study, conducted by Yoshiyuki Ikeda and colleagues, investigated how sauna therapy can improve vascular health in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), specifically focusing on the role of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) in improving endothelial function. Vascular endothelial dysfunction is a key feature of CHF, leading to poor blood vessel function. The researchers used TO-2 cardiomyopathic hamsters, a model for heart failure, and treated them with a daily sauna regimen involving 15 minutes of far-infrared heat at 39°C followed by 20 minutes at 30°C for four weeks. This regimen was designed to induce thermal vasodilation, which increases blood flow and can help improve vascular health.
The study found that sauna therapy significantly increased the expression of eNOS mRNA and protein in the aortas of the hamsters with heart failure, compared to those that did not undergo sauna treatment. This upregulation of eNOS led to an increase in nitric oxide (NO) production, which is important for healthy blood vessel function. Additionally, serum nitrate levels, a marker of NO production, were higher in the treated hamsters. The researchers concluded that repeated sauna therapy can improve endothelial function in heart failure by boosting eNOS expression and NO production, offering a potential non-pharmacological treatment option for vascular dysfunction in CHF patients. This research highlights the therapeutic benefits of heat therapy (hyperthermia) in supporting cardiovascular health and improving circulation in individuals with heart failure.
