High-intensity exercise-induced oxidative stress in sedentary pre-pubertal & post-pubertal boys: A comparative study

Abstract

Background & objectives:High-intensity exercise results in oxidative stress in adult population. Impact of pubertal attainment on high-intensity exercise-induced oxidative stress in sedentary paediatric population has not been investigated in detail. The present study was conducted to investigate the extent of high-intensity exercise-induced oxidative stress in sedentary pre- and post-pubertal boys through estimation of serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total thiol content and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT).Methods:Sixty four sedentary pre-pubertal (n=32, age = 10.21±0.67 yr) and post-pubertal (n=32, age = 15.58±0.47 yr) boys performed incremental treadmill running exercise at 80 per cent of the age predicted maximum heart rate till volitional exhaustion. Blood sample (5 ml) was drawn from each individual before and after the exercise for estimation of oxidative stress markers.Results:Pre-exercise SOD activity and total thiol level showed significant positive relationship with age and were significantly higher in post-pubertal boys. Serum TBARS level, SOD and CAT activities increased while total thiol content decreased in both the groups following exercise. Post-exercise percentage change in TBARS, SOD activity and total thiol level was significantly higher in post-pubertal boys, and these variables had significant positive relationship with age. No significant intergroup variations were noted in CAT activity before or after exercise.Interpretation & conclusions:Extent of post-exercise oxidative stress increased significantly with attainment of puberty. However, baseline and post-exercise antioxidation status also increased significantly as a function of age with pubertal maturation allowing the post-pubertal boys to counter relatively higher oxidative stress more efficiently than their pre-pubertal counterparts. Post-exercise upregulation in CAT activity might not be influenced by age or pubertal maturation in this age group.

Effects of High Intensity Exercise on Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Status in Untrained Humans: A Systematic Review

“…Fisher et al (2011) also found that the absence of lymphocyte cell viability decreases after HIE exercise and was due to the increased activity of antioxidant enzymes in lymphocytes [ 43 ]. Many studies have also shown a significant increase in antioxidant activity after HIE compared to baseline values [ 38 , 43 , 46 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 66 , 67 , 68 ]. In contrast, several studies found that antioxidant enzyme activities did not increase but decreased after HIE.…”

“…Higher baseline value of TBARS, CAT, and SOD were observed in post-pubertal populations, and more significant changes in these markers after exercise were found. Therefore, post-pubertal populations were considered to have a stronger ability to counter oxidative stress [ 67 ].…”

Relationship between Physical Activity, Oxidative Stress, and Total Plasma Antioxidant Capacity in Spanish Children from the GENOBOX Study

“…Available evidence suggests that the transition from childhood to adolescence may promote a maturation of pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant mechanisms associated with the activation of somatotropic and gonadal axes [ 15 ]. Recently, Chaki et al [ 31 ] compared the redox status, from baseline and after a high-intensity exercise, between sedentary pre- and post-pubertal boys. They found in both baseline and post-exercise that pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant biomarkers were higher for those with pubertal maturation.…”

“…They found in both baseline and post-exercise that pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant biomarkers were higher for those with pubertal maturation. They suggested post-pubertal boys may face to oxidative stress more efficiently than their prepubertal peers [ 31 ]. Following the same trend, pubertal children of our sample exhibited higher levels of TAC than those who were prepubertal and the relationship between TAC and PASS levels remained negative for both groups but attenuated for pubertal children (data not shown).…”

The Effect of Exercise Intensity and Duration on Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Enzymes Activity among Sedentary Healthy Adults: A Repeated Measures Study

“…An increase in oxidative stress following exercise is accompanied by increased antioxidant responses [46,47] that were also discovered in the present study-particularly CAT and SOD. Activities of SOD and CAT increased following exercise to counteract the rise in ROS production [6,46,48,49,50].…”