Activation of epithelial and inflammatory pathways in adolescent elite athletes exposed to intense exercise and air pollution.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Participation in high-intensity exercise in early life might act as stressor to the airway barrier.

Objectives

To investigate the effect of intense exercise and associated exposure to air pollution on the airway barrier in adolescent elite athletes compared with healthy controls and to study exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in this population.

Methods

Early-career elite athletes attending 'Flemish-Elite-Sports-Schools' (12-18 years) of 4 different sport disciplines (n=90) and control subjects (n=25) were recruited. Presence of EIB was tested by the eucapnic voluntary hyperventilation (EVH) test. Markers at mRNA and protein level; RNA-sequencing; carbon load in airway macrophages were studied on induced sputum samples.

Results

444 genes were

SUBMITTER: Goossens J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10359548 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature