Strenuous exercise causes systemic endotoxemia

Abstract

Eighteen triathletes were studied before and immediately after competing in an ultradistance triathlon. Their mean plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) concentrations increased from 0.081 to 0.294 ng/ml (P less than 0.001), and their mean plasma anti-LPS immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations decreased from 67.63 to 38.99 micrograms/ml (P less than 0.001). Both pretriathlon plasma LPS and anti-LPS IgG levels were directly related to the intensity of training (P less than 0.02 and P less than 0.01, respectively). It is possible that training-induced stress led to some leakage of LPS into the circulation, which, in turn, resulted in self-immunization against LPS. The effects on athletic performance in relation to exercise-induced changes in plasma LPS and anti-LPS IgG levels require further investigation.

Acute hepatic response to diet modification and exercise-induced endotoxemia during a laboratory-based duathlon

“…This exercise intensity caused bacterial translocation immediately following exercise similar to that reported in marathon and ultra-endurance events [3,4,6,7,27,44].…”

Overview of the epidemiology of exercise immunology

“…Increases in plasma endotoxin concentrations have been observed following participation in ultramarathon 83 and triathlon events, 84 but not following a 21 km run 83 or a 160 km cycle race. 85 At best, a response to endotoxin would explain a threshold of susceptibility to infection associated with extreme exhaustion.…”

Intense flight and endotoxin injection elicit similar effects on leukocyte distributions but dissimilar effects on plasma-based immunological indices in pigeons

“…(5) If exercise-induced endotoxemia is the mechanism behind the effects of flight, then post-flight changes should closely mirror post-endotoxin-injection changes, particularly in terms of haptoglobin, which is known to increase in response to endotoxin exposure (van de Crommenacker et al, 2010). Physiological relationships between exercise and sepsis, such as exercise-induced endotoxemia Bosenberg et al, 1988), are known in humans (Petersen and Pedersen, 2005;Pedersen and Hoffman-Goetz, 2000). Discrepancies between the responses to flight and endotoxin challenges would suggest different underlying mechanisms.…”