Oxidative stress, inflammation, and muscle soreness in an 894-km relay trail run

Abstract

We describe the effects of multi-day relay trail running on muscle soreness and damage, and systemic immune, inflammatory, and oxidative responses. 16 male and 4 female athletes ran 894 km in 47 stages over 95 h, with mean (SD) 6.4 (1.0) stages per athlete and 19.0 (1.7) km per stage. We observed post-pre run increases in serum creatine kinase (qualified effect size extremely large, p = 0.002), IL-6 (extremely large, p < 0.001), urinary 8-isoprostane/creatinine (extremely large, p = 0.04), TNF-α (large, p = 0.002), leukocyte count (very large, p < 0.0001) and neutrophil fraction (very large, p < 0.001); and reductions in hemoglobin (moderate, p < 0.001), hematocrit (moderate, p < 0.001), and lymphocyte fraction (trivial, p < 0.001). An increase in ORAC total antioxidant capacity (TAC, small, p = 0.3) and decrease in urinary 8-OHdG/creatinine (small, p = 0.1) were not statistically significant. During the run, muscle soreness was most frequent in the quadriceps. The threshold for muscle pain (pain-pressure algometry) in the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius was lower post-run (small, p = 0.04 and 0.03). Average running speed was correlated with algometer pain and leukocyte count (large, r = 0.52), and TAC was correlated with IL-6 (very large, r = 0.76) and 8-isoprostane/creatinine (very large, r = -0.72). Multi-day stage-racing increases inflammation, lipid peroxidation, muscle damage and soreness without oxidative DNA damage. High TAC is associated with reduced exercise-induced lipid peroxidation, but is not related to immune response or muscle damage.

Redox Mechanism of Reactive Oxygen Species in Exercise

“…Some studies have indicated that antioxidant supplements fail to protect against the damaging effects of oxidative stress such as exercise-induced lipid peroxidation and inflammation, both of which hinder muscle recovery (Teixeira et al, 2009). Specifically, prolonged antioxidant supplementation is not recommended since it can disrupt endogenous antioxidant levels and interfere exercise-induced adaptation, thereby blunting body's defense against oxidative stress (Peternelj and Coombes, 2011; Rowlands et al, 2012). Excessive antioxidant intake, such as vitamin C and E supplementation, has been shown to delay healing process and muscle strength restoration in athletes following an exhaustive exercise training (Margaritis and Rousseau, 2008; Theodorou et al, 2011).…”

The relation between DNA methylation patterns and serum cytokine levels in community-dwelling adults: a preliminary study

“…In addition to these pathological forms of stress, other studies have shown that changes in the levels of serum cytokines can also occur in response to physiological (eg. long distance running [5]) and psychological (eg. caregiving [6]) forms of stress as well, which can be reproduced using controlled rodent models [7].…”

Effect of Wearing Compression Stockings on Recovery After Mild Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage

“…6 The popularity of this activity has led to increasing numbers of athletes participating in trail events, during which they must complete a race per day for 2 or more consecutive days. [7][8][9][10] Thus, it appears essential to use recovery strategies that allow athletes to train or compete at their maximal performance capacity.…”