Effect of Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise on the Complement System of Proteins in Healthy Young Males

Abstract

This study was aimed at examining the impact of common types of physical efforts used to determine the aerobic and anaerobic performance of the participants on the complement system in their peripheral blood. Fifty-one physically active young males aged 16 years old (range 15–21 years) were divided into two age groups (younger, 15–17 years old and older, 18–21 years old) and performed two types of intensive efforts: aerobic (endurance; 20-m shuttle run test; Beep) and anaerobic (speed; repeated speed ability test; RSA). Venous blood samples were collected before and after each exercise (5 and 60 min) to profile the complement system components, namely the levels of C2, C3, C3a, iC3b, and C4. The endurance effort caused a decrease in the post-test C3 (p < 0.001 for both age groups) and increase in post-test C3a (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01 for the younger and older group, respectively), recovery iC3b (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05 for younger and older group, respectively), recovery C2 (p < 0.01 for both age groups), and post-test C4 (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01 for the younger and older group, respectively) levels, while the speed effort caused a decrease only in the post-test C2 (p < 0.05 for younger participants) and post-test C4 levels (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01 for the younger and older group, respectively) and an increase in the recovery C3a level (p < 0.05). Our study provides evidence that different types of physical effort promote different immune responses in physically active young men. Aerobic exercise induced the activation of an alternative pathway of the complement system, whilst the anaerobic effort had little influence. A better understanding of the post-exercise immune response provides a framework to prescribe physical activity to achieve different health outcomes.

High Endurance Elite Athletes Show Age-dependent Lower Levels of Circulating Complements Compared to Low/Moderate Endurance Elite Athletes

“…Furthermore, a post-effort increase in C3 and C4 complement components was observed in Marathon runners and their sedentary counterparts performing graded exercise on a mechanical treadmill ( Nieman et al, 1989 ; Mochizuki et al, 1999 ). A similar trend was also observed in the case of C4 in older participants performing aerobic exercise ( Kostrzewa-Nowak et al, 2020 ). Taken both opposing views into account, it may be concluded that endurance effort exerts alterations in the complement system that may depend on the intensity, duration and type of physical training.…”

“…Conversely, high endurance exercise with intensity greater than >70% VO 2 max could contribute to lowering the athletes’ immunity ( Cannon, 1993 ; Mackinnon, 1994 ). As part of the immune response, acute physical activity can also activate the alternative complement pathway in an intensity and duration-dependent manners ( Kostrzewa-Nowak et al, 2020 ), however the effect of long-term exercise, such as the one practiced by elite athletes on circulating complement levels remains to be investigated. In this study, circulating levels of 14 complements were profiled in the serum samples of 79 elite athletes who belong to high and low/moderate endurance sports and two age groups (below and above 30 years old).…”

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that acute endurance effort (20 m shuttle run test) triggers a decrease in the post-test C3, but increase in iC3b and C2 in 15–17 year old active males. On the other hand, repeated speed ability test caused a decrease in the post-test C2 for younger participants only, but an increase in the recovery C3a levels ( Kostrzewa-Nowak et al, 2020 ). Differences in C3 responses to endurance between reported data and our study may reflect the difference in the duration (acute or chronic) or intensity (recreational or professional) of exercise between participants of the two studies.…”

“…Previous studies have also shown different effect of endurance effort on complement levels in athletes who belong to different age groups. For example, a decrease in the post-test C2 was only seen in younger participants (Kostrzewa-Nowak et al, 2020). It remains to be investigated whether age-related dysregulation of mitochondrial biogenesis, dynamic and autophagy could explain the compromised role of exercise on lowering complements levels in older athletes (Joseph et al, 2016;Sellami et al, 2021b).…”

“…However, its role in the chronic exercise immune response is yet to be determined. A recent study has suggested that aerobic exercise can trigger various immune responses in active young men via activating the alternative pathway ( Kostrzewa-Nowak et al, 2020 ). Whereas moderate intensity regular exercise stimulates the immune system, high intensity exercise without sufficient recovery could reduce the immune response and enhance risk of infections ( Calabrese and Nieman, 1996 ; Nieman, 1997 ; Pedersen and Hoffman-Goetz, 2000 ; Gleeson et al, 2012 ; Peake et al, 2017a ; Peake et al, 2017b ).…”