Strenuous exercise is known to induce oxidative stress leading to the generation of free radicals. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of lycopene, an antioxidant nutrient, at a relatively low dose (2.6 mg/kg per d) and a relatively high dose (7.8 mg/kg per d) on the antioxidant status of blood and skeletal muscle tissues in rats after exhaustive exercise. Rats were ...

It is generally accepted that exhausting endurance exercise exhibits strong effects on the immune system. Such effects have been attributed to changes in the cellular composition of peripheral blood as well as to changes in the expression of plausible candidate genes. The list of candidate genes is far from being complete, since this issue has not yet been investigated in a systematic way. In t...

This study determined the effects of exercise on the ability of macrophages (Mphi) to present antigen to T cells. Pathogen-free male Balb/c mice (8 +/- 2 wk of age) were randomly assigned to either home cage control, moderate exercise (Mod; 18 m/min, 5% grade, 0.5 h/day), exhaustive exercise (Exh, 18-30 m/min, 3 h/day), or treadmill control groups. The mice underwent treatments for 4 days durin...

Intensive and exhaustive exercise induces an activation of blood T-lymphocytes, which seems to be terminated by apoptotic processes in the postexercise period. Here, we report that exercise-induced T-lymphocyte apoptosis is a systemic phenomenon occurring in various lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues. The apoptosis rate could be related to exercise intensity and type. Although in some tissues, su...

The use of noninvasive techniques to measure respiratory muscle performance after different types of endurance exercise has not been entirely successful, as the results have not consistently indicated diminished performance for similar types of exercise. The aim of the present study was 1) to compare different, noninvasive methods to assess respiratory muscle performance before and after an exh...

Highly aerobically trained individuals are unable to achieve maximal oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text]) during exhaustive running lasting ~2 min, instead [Formula: see text] plateaus below [Formula: see text] after ~1 min. Hypoxia offers the opportunity to study the ([Formula: see text]) response to an exhaustive run relative to a hypoxia induced reduction in [Formula: see text]. The aim of th...

BACKGROUND The interindividual variability in the health-related efficacy of regular endurance training is high. This impedes on the individual optimization of preventive training prescriptions when optimal efficacy is intended. As a consequence, health-gains remain below what could be achieved. Practicable predictors of an individual's responsiveness to physical exercise would offer a solution...

Exercise causes oxidative stress only when exhaustive. Strenuous exercise causes oxidation of glutathione, release of cytosolic enzymes, and other signs of cell damage. However, there is increasing evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) not only are toxic but also play an important role in cell signaling and in the regulation of gene expression. Xanthine oxidase is involved in the generati...