The changes of Complement system during exercise

This study was aimed at examining the impact of common types of physical efforts used to determine the aerobicand anaerobic performance of the participants on the complement system in their peripheral blood. Fifty-onephysically active young males aged ۱۶ years old (range ۱۵–۲۱ years) were divided into two age groups (younger,۱۵–۱۷ years old and older, ۱۸–۲۱ years old) and performed two types of intensive efforts: aerobic (endurance; ۲۰-m shuttle run test; Beep) and anaerobic (speed; repeated speed ability test; RSA). Venous blood samples werecollected before and after each exercise (۵ and ۶۰ min) to profile the complement system components, namely thelevels of C۲, C۳, C۳a, iC۳b, and C۴. The endurance effort caused a decrease in the post-test C۳ (p < ۰.۰۰۱ forboth age groups) and increase in post-test C۳a (p < ۰.۰۰۱ and p < ۰.۰۱ for the younger and older group,respectively), recovery iC۳b (p < ۰.۰۰۱ and p < ۰.۰۵ for younger and older group, respectively), recovery C۲ (p< ۰.۰۱ for both age groups), and post-test C۴ (p < ۰.۰۵ and p < ۰.۰۱ for the younger and older group, respectively)levels, while the speed effort caused a decrease only in the post-test C۲ (p < ۰.۰۵ for younger participants) andpost-test C۴ levels (p < ۰.۰۰۱ and p < ۰.۰۱ for the younger and older group, respectively) and an increase in therecovery C۳a level (p < ۰.۰۵). Our study provides evidence that different types of physical effort promote differentimmune responses in physically active young men. Aerobic exercise induced the activation of an alternativepathway of the complement system, whilst the anaerobic effort had little influence. A better understanding of thepost-exercise immune response provides a framework to prescribe physical activity to achieve different healthoutcomes.