Abstract
Many of the anabolic effects of exercise are mediated through insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), but in adolescents, brief exercise training leads to reductions, rather than the expected increase, in circulating IGF-I. Certain cytokines—interleukin- (IL) 1β (IL-1β), IL-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α—are increased by exercise in adults and are known to inhibit IGF-I. To test the hypothesis that these cytokines might play a role in the adaptation to exercise, we measured the acute effects of exercise on selected cytokines and growth factors in 17 healthy 8- to 11-y-old children (4 females). Designed to mimic patterns and intensity of exercise found in the real lives of American children, the exercise protocol consisted of a 1.5-h soccer practice (of which about 40 min constituted of vigorous exercise). Pre- and postexercise urine and saliva samples were obtained in all subjects and both blood and urine in nine subjects. The exercise led to significant increases in circulating tumor necrosis factor-α (18 ± 7%, p< 0.05) and IL-6 (125 ± 35%, p< 0.01) as well as a significant increase in the antiinflammatory cytokine IL-1 receptor antagonist (33 ± 10%, p< 0.01). Urine levels of IL-6 were also substantially increased by exercise (440 ± 137%, p< 0.0001). Circulating levels of IGF-I were reduced to a small but significant degree (−6.4 ± 3.2%, p< 0.05), although IGF-binding protein-1 (known to inhibit IGF-I) was substantially increased (156 ± 40%, p< 0.001). Cytokines are systemically increased after relatively brief exercise in healthy children. This increase may alter critical anabolic agents such as IGF-I and its binding proteins.
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Abbreviations
- c.v.:
-
coefficient of variation
- IGF-I:
-
insulin-like growth factor-I
- IGFBP-1:
-
IGF binding protein-1
- IL:
-
interleukin
- IL-1ra:
-
IL-1 receptor antagonist
- TNF-α:
-
tumor necrosis factor-α
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Supported by Grant RO1–26939 from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Grant MO1RR00827 from UCSD General Clinical Research Center.
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Scheett, T., Mills, P., Ziegler, M. et al. Effect of Exercise on Cytokines and Growth Mediators in Prepubertal Children. Pediatr Res 46, 429 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199910000-00011
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199910000-00011
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