Biology of Sport
eISSN: 2083-1862
ISSN: 0860-021X
Biology of Sport
Current Issue Manuscripts accepted About the journal Editorial board Abstracting and indexing Archive Ethical standards and procedures Contact Instructions for authors Journal's Reviewers Special Information
Editorial System
Submit your Manuscript
SCImago Journal & Country Rank
Search
Editorial Policies
Sarajevo Declaration on Integrity and Visibility of Scholarly Publications

Open access

without publication fees
3/2024
vol. 41
 
Share:
Send email
Share:
abstract:
Original paper

Exploring sex differences in blood-based biomarkers following exhaustive exercise using bioinformatics analysis

Julia C. Blumkaitis
1
,
Natalia Nunes
2, 3
,
Tilmann Strepp
1
,
Aleksandar Tomaskovic
4
,
Mario Wenger
3
,
Hannah Widauer
3
,
Lorenz Aglas
3
,
Perikles Simon
4
,
Thomas Leonhard Stöggl
1, 5
,
Nils Haller
1, 4

  1. Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
  2. Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
  3. Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
  4. Department of Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation and Disease Prevention, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
  5. Red Bull Athlete Performance Center, Salzburg, Austria
Biol Sport. 2024; 41(3): 105–118
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2024.132998
Online publish date: 2024/01/02
View full text Get citation
 
PlumX metrics:
This study examined the acute effects of exercise testing on immunology markers, established blood-based biomarkers, and questionnaires in endurance athletes, with a focus on biological sex differences. Twenty-four healthy endurance-trained participants (16 men, age: 29.2±7.6 years, maximal oxygen uptake (V̇ O2max): 59.4±7.5 ml·min−1 · kg−1; 8 women, age: 26.8±6.1 years, V̇ O2max: 52.9±3.1 ml·min−1 · kg−1) completed an incremental submaximal exercise test and a ramp test. The study employed exploratory bioinformatics analysis: mixed ANOVA, k-means clustering, and uniform manifold approximation and projection, to assess the effects of exhaustive exercise on biomarkers and questionnaires. Significant increases in biomarkers (lymphocytes, platelets, procalcitonin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cells, cell-free DNA (cfDNA)) and fatigue were observed post-exercise. Furthermore, differences pre- to post-exercise were observed in cytokines, cfDNA, and other blood biomarkers between male and female participants. Three distinct groups of athletes with differing proportions of females (Cluster 1: 100% female, Cluster 2: 85% male, Cluster 3: 37.5% female and 65.5% male) were identified with k-means clustering. Specific biomarkers (e.g., interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-10, and IL-13, as well as cfDNA) served as primary markers for each cluster, potentially informing individualized exercise responses. In conclusion, our study identified exercise-sensitive biomarkers and provides valuable insights into the relationships between biological sex and biomarker responses.
keywords:

cfDNA, Cytokines, Exercise immunology, Exercise physiology, K-means clustering

  
Termedia
About us Contact
Copyright notice Privacy policy Advertising policy Contact us
Quick links
Journals Books eBooks Events
© 2024 Termedia Sp. z o.o.
Developed by Bentus.