Günther Strobel

The effect of maximal exercise on the activity of neutrophil granulocytes in highly trained athletes in a moderate training period

SummaryLeucocyte cell counts and the phagocytic and chemotactic activities of neutrophil granulocytes were investigated in highly endurance-trained long-distance runners (n = 10) and triathletes (n = 10) during a moderate training period and compared with untrained subjects (n= 0) before and up to 24 h after a graded exercise to exhaustion on a treadmill. After exercise a leucocytosis was noted with a significant increase in lymphocyte (P≤0.01) and neutrophil (P≤0.01) counts in all groups. In neutrophils the number of ingested inert latex beads was significantly increased (P ≤ 0.01) from 0.21 (SD 0.09) to 0.45 (SD 0.22) in controls, from 0.20 (SD 0.12) to 0.56 (SD 0.16) in long-distance runners and from 0.25 (SD 0.08) to 1.03 (SD 0.42) particles per cell in triathletes 24 h after exercise, compared with resting values. The capability of neutrophils to produce microbicidal reactive oxygen species fell (P:_ 0.05) immediately after exercise in all subjects and then increased by 36 (SD 8) %, 31 (SD 6) % and 19 (SD 9) % in controls, runners and triathletes respectively up to 24 h after exercise (P≤ 0.05) compared with pre-start values. With respect to the absolute number of neutrophils, ingestion capacity, production of superoxide anions and chemotactic activity, no significant differences were found between athletes and control subjects at rest and after exercise. These data indicate, on the one hand, no impairment of the granulocyte system during a moderate training period in long-distance runners and triathletes but, on the other, that the prolonged activation of the phagocytosis reaction after exercise might impair the granulocyte system in periods of intensive training with high training frequency.

Coagulation and thrombomodulin in response to exercise of different type and duration

PURPOSE The present study was conducted to evaluate the role of the duration of exercise and the impact of the exercise type for exercise-induced activation of coagulation. METHODS Eleven male triathletes were subjected to stepwise maximal (17 min) and 1-h maximal exercise in swimming, cycling, and running. Changes of hemostatic variable sand of plasma thrombomodulin, a marker of endothelial cell activation, were monitored. RESULTS Irrespective of the type of exercise, alterations in markers of thrombin (prothrombin fragment 1 + 2, thrombin-antithrombin III complexes) and fibrin formation (fibrinopeptide A) were more pronounced after 1-h exercise than after stepwise maximal exercise. Hemostatic parameters rose to the highest levels after running resulting in substantial fibrin formation as indicated by fibrinopeptide A increasing from 1.33 ng.mL-1 to 2.25 ng.mL (P < 0.05) after 1-h exercise testing. Significant changes of plasma thrombomodulin were detected exclusively after running with increases from 38.2 ng.mL-1 to 44.2 ng.mL-1 (1 h, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The data demonstrated that prolonged exercise is necessary for exercise-induced activation of coagulation resulting in thrombin and fibrin formation and suggested that endothelial cell activation possibly due to mechanical factors associated with running might play a role.

Evaluation of stress responses to interval training at low and moderate altitudes

PURPOSE The purpose of the present field study was to explore whether extensive interval training (IT) performed with a similar behavior of blood lactate (LA) at an altitude of 1800 m (ALT) and near sea level (SL) goes along with a comparable hormonal, metabolic, and acute phase response in highly trained endurance athletes. METHODS Twelve distance runners (VO2 64.6 +/- 6.9 mL.kg(-1) ) performed IT (10 x 1000 m, 2-min rest) at SL with a running velocity (V) corresponding to 112% of the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT). After an acclimatization period of 7 d, IT was repeated with a lower V (107% IAT) at ALT. Blood samples were drawn at rest, 0, 0.3, 3, and 24 h after IT. LA during IT was similar at SL and ALT (5.4 +/- 1.3/5.3 +/- 1.2 mmol.L(-1)), whereas HR tended to be higher at SL. RESULTS Postexercise rises in plasma noradrenaline (NA), NA sulfate, adrenaline, glucose, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and neutrophils were significantly more pronounced at ALT. The increase of cortisol and human growth hormone showed an insignificant trend toward higher values at ALT. A slight but significant increase of plasma erythropoietin was only apparent after IT at ALT. No differences between either condition were observed for exercise-related changes in free fatty acids, IL-8, lympho-, or monocyte counts. CONCLUSIONS In spite of a matched accumulation pattern of LA between ALT and N, stress responses, such as sympathetic activation and hepatic glucose release, still appear to be greater at ALT. This additional impact of moderate ALT on the stress response to IT should be taken into account if repeated training sessions are performed within a short period of time.

Effect of severe exercise on plasma catecholamines in differently trained athletes.

OBJECTIVE In the present study we investigated whether plasma catecholamine (CA) responses to short-term severe exercise (SX) are affected by different training regimen and whether this test will increase plasma catecholamine sulfates. METHODS Nine anaerobically (ANTA) and eight aerobically trained male athletes (ATA) performed a severe treadmill exercise test (SX) at similar oxygen demands, leading to exhaustion within 2-3 min. RESULTS The anaerobic contribution to energy supply was higher in ANTA than in ATA as indicated by the higher maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (37.5+/-3.5 vs. 22.7+/-4.4 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1)) (means +/- SE) (P<0.009) and blood lactate concentration after exercise (19.4+/-2.4 vs. 15.0+/-1.9 mmol x L(-1)) (P<0.005). In both groups plasma norepinephrine (NE), norepinephrine sulfate (NE-S), epinephrine (EPI), and epinephrine sulfate (EPI-S) increased significantly (P<0.05) during exercise with higher increments (P<0.05) in ANTA than in ATA (NE: 87.5+/-9.7 vs. 60.8+/-7.1 nmol x L(-1), P<0.034; EPI: 16.6+/-3.3 vs. 6.9+/-1.2 nmol x L(-1), P<0.009). CONCLUSION Data suggest that during this type of exercise the sympathoadrenergic system is more activated in ANTA than in ATA and seems related to the higher anaerobic contribution to energy supply in ANTA. The short duration of SX was sufficient to increase plasma NE-S and EPI-S concentration.

Sustained noradrenaline sulphate response in long-distance runners and untrained subjects up to 2 h after exhausting exercise

SummaryWe investigated the response of plasma and platelet free catecholamine ([CA]) and sulphated catecholamine ([CA-S]) concentrations after an incremental treadmill test to exhaustion and during recovery. In triathletes (n = 9) plasma and platelet [CA] and [CA-S] were measured before, immediately after and 0.5 and 24 h after exercise. In long-distance runners (n = 9) and in controls (n = 10) plasma [CA] and [CA-S] were determined 2 h instead of 24 h after exercise. Platelet [CA] and [CA-S] remained unchanged throughout the study. Plasma [CA] increased after exercise in all groups (P<0.05) and returned to pre-exercise values within 0.5 h of recovery. Plasma sulphoconjugated noradrenaline concentration ([NA-S]) was elevated after exercise in the triathletes, long-distance runners and in controls [9.96 (SEM 0.84) nmol·1−1, 11.8 (SEM 1.19) nmol·1−1, 9.53 (SEM 1.10) nmol·l−1, respectively;P<0.05] compared with resting values [7.13 (SEM 1.04) nmol·l−1, 6.19 (SEM 0.56) nmol·l−1, 6.76 (SEM 0.67) nmol·1−1, respectively] and remained elevated after 0.5 h of recovery [9.94 (SEM1.14) nmol·l−1, 10.96 (SEM 0.80) nmol·l−1, 8.95 (SEM 0.99) nmol·l−1, respectively;P<0.05]. In the long-distance runners and controls plasma [NA-S] remained elevated during 2 h of recovery [9.96 (SEM 0.76) nmol·l−1, 9.03 (SEM 0.88) nmol·l−1, respectively]. These results would indicate that plasma [NA-S] increases after sympathetic nervous system activation by an exhausting incremental exercise test and remain elevated up to 2 h after exercise.

Estimation of maximal oxygen uptake by bioelectrical impedance analysis

Previous non-exercise models for the prediction of maximal oxygen uptake (

THE POTENTIAL OF INTACT HUMAN PLATELETS FOR SULFOCONJUGATION OF NOREPINEPHRINE IN VITRO

\dot V{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}}

\skew2\pdot{V}{\rm O}_{2 {\rm max}} prediction from multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis

) have failed to accurately discriminate cardiorespiratory fitness within large cohorts. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of a completely indirect method for predicting