Abstract: Objective To assess autonomic nervous function in sub-health rats induced by different factors based on Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis, and determine the relationship between HRV indexes and sub-health state. Methods Fourty-two male SPF Wistar rats were randomly divided into seven groups: multi-factor group (MF), multifactor treatment group (MFT), warm swimming group (WS), dietary restriction group (DR), sleep deficiency group (SD), purely constraint group (PC) and control group (C), six animals in each group. Using warm swimming, dietary restrictions, sleep deprivation and constraint to establish sub-health rat model. Rats were daily orally administered 300 mg/kg anti-aging tablet in MFT group. The ECG was monitored at the end of the modeling and recovery of 3 days, and HRV analysis has been used to investigate the autonomic nervous function in sub-health rats induced by different factors. Results Compared with control group, standard deviation of the mean R-R interval (SDNN), the root-mean-square of successive differences (RMSSD), short term variability (STV) and long term variability (LTV) parameters of their HRV time domain analysis in sub-health rats were significantly higher than those of control group, and very low frequency power (VLF), low frequency power (LF), total power (TP), LF/HF ratio, normalized low frequency (LFnu) parameters of their HRV frequency domain analysis were increased, while normalized high frequency (HFnu) was decreased. Anti-aging tablets treatment could significantly reduce the LF, LF/HF ratio and LFnu (P<0.05) and increase HFnu (P<0.05). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that the closely relationship between RRI, SDNN, LTV, LF, TP, LF/HF ratio, LFnu, HFnu and sub-health state (P<0.05), and stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that the low HFnu (OR, value=0.566, P=0.023) maybe independent risk factors for inducing sub-health. Conclusion The autonomic nervous function in sub-health rats induced by different factors was apparent disorder, and inhibition of vagus nerve activity maybe an independent risk factor for sub-health. So HRV analysis could assess the sub-health state.

Key words: Heart rate variability, Sub-health, Rat, Autonomic nervous function, Anti-aging tablet