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Acute exhaustive rowing exercise reduces skin microvascular dilator function in young adult rowing athletes

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Abstract

Purpose

The effect of acute exhaustive exercise session on skin microvascular reactivity was assessed in professional rowers and sedentary subjects. A potential involvement of altered hemodynamic parameters and/or oxidative stress level in the regulation of skin microvascular blood flow by acute exercise were determined.

Methods

Anthropometric, biochemical, and hemodynamic parameters were measured in 18 young healthy sedentary men and 20 professional rowers who underwent a single acute exercise session. Post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH), endothelium-dependent acetylcholine (ACh), and endothelium-independent sodium nitroprusside (SNP) microvascular responses were assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry in skin microcirculation before and after acute exercise. Serum lipid peroxidation products and plasma antioxidant capacity were measured using spectrophotometry.

Results

At baseline, rowers had significantly lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR), and higher stroke volume (SV), PORH, and endothelium-dependent vasodilation than sedentary. Acute exercise caused a significant increase in systolic blood pressure, DBP, HR, and SV and a decrease in total peripheral resistance in both groups. Acute exercise induced a significant impairment in PORH and ACh-induced response in rowers, but not in sedentary, whereas the SNP-induced vasodilation was not affected by acute exercise in any group. Antioxidant capacity significantly increased only in sedentary after acute exercise.

Conclusion

Single acute exercise session impaired microvascular reactivity and endothelial function in rowers but not in sedentary, possibly due to (1) more rowing grades and higher exercise intensity achieved by rowers; (2) a higher increase in arterial pressure in rowers than in sedentary men; and (3) a lower antioxidant capacity in rowers.

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Abbreviations

ACh:

Acetylcholine

AE:

Acute exercise

ApoA:

Apolipoprotein A

ApoB:

Apolipoprotein B

AUC:

Area under the curve

BMI:

Body mass index

BP:

Blood pressure

CO:

Cardiac output

CV:

Cardiovascular

DBP:

Diastolic blood pressure

ECW%:

Extracellular water%

FBC:

Full blood cell count

FFM%:

Fat free mass%

FM%:

Fat mass%

FMD:

Flow-mediated dilation

FRAP:

Ferric-reducing ability of plasma

HDL:

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol

HR:

Heart rate

hsCRP:

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein

ICG:

Impedance cardiography

ICW%:

Intracellular water%

LDF:

Laser Doppler flowmetry

LDL:

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

MAP:

Mean arterial pressure

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

NO:

Nitric oxide

PORH:

Post-occlusive reactive hyperemia

RE:

Regular exercise

RPE:

Rating of perceived exertion

SBP:

Systolic blood pressure

SD:

Standard deviation

SNP:

Sodium nitroprusside

SV:

Stroke volume

TBARS:

Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances

TBW%:

Total body water%

TPR:

Total peripheral resistance

WHR:

Waist-to-hip ratio

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Acknowledgements

We thank to Rowing Club Iktus Osijek and Croatian Rowing Club Vukovar for engagement in this study.

Funding

This study was supported by earmarked funding grant of Faculty of Medicine Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek VIF2015-MEFOS-05 “Mechanisms involved in endothelial dysfunction development by acute high salt loading and acute exhausting exercise”; and Osijek-Baranja County project (2014–2016) “Influence of exercise on cardiovascular physiological parameters”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Cardiovascular Disease, Osijek University Hospital, Osijek, Croatia

    Marko Stupin

  2. Department of Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Cara Hadrijana 10E, 31 000, Osijek, Croatia

    Marko Stupin, Ana Stupin, Lidija Rasic, Anita Cosic, Luka Kolar & Ines Drenjancevic

  3. Department of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, Osijek University Hospital, Osijek, Croatia

    Vatroslav Seric

  4. Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Helena Lenasi

  5. Module of Physical Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia

    Kresimir Izakovic

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  1. Marko Stupin
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  2. Ana Stupin
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  3. Lidija Rasic
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Correspondence to Ines Drenjancevic.

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Communicated by Carsten Lundby.

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Stupin, M., Stupin, A., Rasic, L. et al. Acute exhaustive rowing exercise reduces skin microvascular dilator function in young adult rowing athletes. Eur J Appl Physiol 118, 461–474 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3790-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3790-y

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