No abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin E supplementation on muscular and oxidative damage, as well as the inflammatory response induced by eccentric exercise (EE) in humans. Twenty-one participants with a mean age of 22.5 +/- 4 years, weight of 68.2 +/- 4.9 kg, and height of 173 +/- 4.3 cm were selected and divided randomly into two groups: supplemented (S) (n = 11) and placebo (P) (n = 10). Fourteen days after starting supplementation, subjects performed EE (three sets until exhaustion with elbow flexion and extension on the Scott bench, 80% 1 RM). Blood samples were collected on days 0, 2, 4, and 7 after EE. Muscle soreness (MS), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin 10 (IL-10) levels were determined. We measured a significant increase in MS, LDH, lipid peroxidation, and carbonylation in both groups on days 2, 4, and 7 after eccentric contractions (EC). Values of the supplement group were lower than those of the placebo group at 4 and 7 days after EC in all parameters. Both groups showed significantly increased TNF-alpha on the second day and IL-10 concentration on the fourth and seventh days after EE. The results suggest that vitamin E supplementation represents an important factor in the defense against oxidative stress and muscle damage but not against the inflammatory response in humans.

It has been demonstrated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and oxidative damage markers are increased after muscle damage. Recent studies have demonstrated that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) modulates many biochemical processes mainly those related to reduction of muscular injures, increment of mitochondrial respiration and ATP synthesis, as well as acceleration of the healing process. The objective of the present investigation was to verify the influence of LLLT in some parameters of muscular injury, oxidative damage, antioxidant activity, and synthesis of collagen after traumatic muscular injury. Adult male Wistar rats were divided randomly into three groups (n = 6), namely, sham (uninjured muscle), muscle injury without treatment, and muscle injury with LLLT (GaAs, 904 nm). Each treated point received 5 J/cm(2) or 0.5 J of energy density (12.5 s) and 2.5 J per treatment (five regions). LLLT was administered 2, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h after muscle trauma. The serum creatine kinase activity was used as an index of skeletal muscle injury. Superoxide anion, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) measurement, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were used as indicators of oxidative stress. In order to assess the synthesis of collagen, levels of hydroxyproline were measured. Our results have shown that the model of traumatic injury induces a significant increase in serum creatine kinase activity, hydroxyproline content, superoxide anion production, TBARS level, and activity of SOD compared to control. LLLT accelerated the muscular healing by significantly decreasing superoxide anion production, TBARS levels, the activity of SOD, and hydroxyproline content. The data strongly indicate that increased ROS production and augmented collagen synthesis are elicited by traumatic muscular injury, effects that were significantly decreased by LLLT.

The objective of the study was to verify the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supplementation on parameters of oxidative damage and inflammatory response after high-intensity eccentric exercise (EE). 29 participants with a mean age of 21.3+/-4 yr, weight of 74.5+/-7.7 kg, and height of 177.2+/-6.9 cm were selected and divided randomly into 3 groups: placebo (21 days; n=8), NAC (21 days; n=9), and NAC plus placebo (14 days; n=8). Four participants withdrew from the study for personal reasons. 14 days after starting supplementation, the participants performed EE: 3 sets until exhaustion (elbow flexion and extension on the Scott bench, 80% 1RM). Blood samples were collected before and on the 2nd, 4th, and 7th day after EE. Muscle soreness (MS), lipoperoxidation, protein carbonylation, tumor-necrosis factor- (TNF-), and interleukin 10 (IL-10) were determined. Results showed a significant increase in MS in all the groups on the 2nd day after EE and a decrease in the following days. A significant increase was observed in malondialdehyde and carbonyl levels on the 4th and 7th days after EE in all groups. TNF- increased significantly on the 2nd day after eccentric exercise and decreased in the following days irrespective of NAC supplementation; concentration of IL-10 increased significantly on the 4th day in all groups. Only the supplemented groups maintained high levels of IL-10 on the 7th day after EE. The results suggest that treatment with NAC represents an important factor in the defense against muscle soreness and has different effects on oxidative damage and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

An Ironman race provokes significant alterations in oxidative stress and inflammatory parameters. Thus, more studies with other markers and different designs are needed to elucidate the cellular alterations induced by an IR.