Introduction: Telomeres are repetitive sequences of TTAGGG section that find at two ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and they shield chromosome ends. Telomere shortening in patients with myocardial infarction has been reported. Shelterin complex's role is essential in telomere length regulation. Telomeric repeat binding factors 1 and 2 (TRF1 and TRF2) are the most important sheltrein complex proteins. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of rehabilitation training on TRF1 and TRF2 in myocardial infarction patients.

Materials and methods: In this Quasi-experimental pre-post intervention study, twenty male patients selected and randomly assigned to training (n=10) or control (n=10) groups. Rehabilitation training was eight weeks of concurrent training, 3 time per week. For TRF1 and TRF2 assessment, blood samples was taken half hour before first training session and 24 hours after the last training session. t-test was used for data analyses. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05.

Results: The findings of the present study revealed that concurrent training increases TRF1 and TRF2 protein levels significantly (P=0.005 and P=0.006, respectively).

Conclusion: It seems that rehabilitation training improves shelterin complex and enhances protection of the telomere and as a result, induces better repair of infarcted area. Therefore, rehabilitation training could be suggested to myocardial infarction patients as a non-pharmacological treatment.