Authors:	Blumkaitis, Julia C. Nunes, Natalia Strepp, Tilmann Tomaskovic, Aleksandar Wenger, Mario Widauer, Hannah Aglas, Lorenz Simon, Perikles Stöggl, Thomas Leonhard Haller, Nils
Title:	Exploring sex differences in blood-based biomarkers following exhaustive exercise using bioinformatics analysis
Online publication date:	9-Jan-2024
Year of first publication:	2024
Language:	english
Abstract:	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.
DDC:	610 Medizin 610 Medical sciences 796 Sport 796 Athletic and outdoor sports and games
Institution:	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department:	FB 02 Sozialwiss., Medien u. Sport
Place:	Mainz
ROR:	https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI:	http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-9918
Version:	Published version
Publication type:	Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Document type specification:	Scientific article
License:	CC BY-SA
Information on rights of use:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Journal:	Biology of sport 41 3
Pages or article number:	105 118
Publisher:	Termedia Publishing House
Publisher place:	Warszawa
Issue date:	2024
ISSN:	2083-1862
Publisher DOI:	10.5114/biolsport.2024.132998
Appears in collections:	DFG-491381577-G