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High intensity exercise causes free radical induced cardiac muscle damage leading to elevation of biomarkers of myocardial injury. The present investigation was conducted in sedentary post-pubertal boys (n=22) and girls (n=22) to examine the influence of sex variation in high intensity exercise induced cardiac stress and vascular antioxidant response. Cardiac muscle damage markers like creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and vascular antioxidants like serum total thiol content and activity of superoxide dismutase enzyme were estimated following high intensity incremental treadmill running. CK, CK-MB and hs-CRP levels increased significantly from baseline values after 24 and 48 hours of exercise in both boys and girls. Oxidation of total thiol and serum superoxide dismutase activity also significantly increased in both sex groups after exercise. It was therefore concluded from the study that post-exercise changes in cardiac markers did not indicate pathological damage to cardiac myocytes in sedentary adolescents. Rather such changes might reflect reversible and non-pathological cardiac stress leading to higher permeability of these markers. However, substantial sex variation in postexercise CK, CK-MB and hs-CRP response, as well as oxidation of total thiol, was noted in this age group, with post-pubertal boys experiencing a significantly higher magnitude of such cardiac stress. No sex variation in upregulation of superoxide dismutase activity was observed following high intensity exercise.
Cite this article as: Pal, S., Chaki, B., Chattopadhyay, S., & Bandyopadhyay, A. (2023). Redox Status and Cardiac Stress Following High Intensity Exercise in Sedentary Post-pubertal Boys and Girls: A Comparative Approach. Research in Sports Science, 13(2), 29-36.