title: Higher levels of erythrocyte membrane fluidity in sprinters and long-distance runners.
abstract: Erythrocyte membrane fluidity was measured in male sprinters and long-distance runners by a spin-label method. The membrane fluidity was higher in long-distance runners than in sedentary subjects for both measurements by use of two stearic acid spin labels (SAL), 12- and 16-SAL, which represent the fluidity at two different depths of lipid bilayer. In the 12-SAL measurement, higher levels were also evident in sprinters than in sedentary subjects. Increases in the C20:5, C22:5, and total polyunsaturated acyl chains were evident in membrane phospholipids, whereas the C18 and total saturated acyl chains were decreased in long-distance runners compared with sedentary subjects. Only levels of C22:5 were higher in the sprinters than the sedentary subjects. Membrane cholesterol and phospholipid classes did not differ among the three groups. A higher level of erythrocyte membrane fluidity was observed in the athletes, more obviously in the long-distance runners, which was related to the altered phospholipid acyl chain composition. The change may contribute to the beneficial effects on erythrocyte functions related to microcirculation in athletes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tokuda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aozaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Otsuji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008560:Membrane Fluidity / Q000502:physiology*; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000097:blood; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D012420:Running; D013113:Spin Labels
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids; D013113:Spin Labels; D002784:Cholesterol