Endotoxin levels correlate positively with a sedentary lifestyle and negatively with highly trained subjects.
BACKGROUND
A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. This phenomenon is supported by recent studies suggesting a chronic, low-grade inflammation status. Endotoxin derived from gut flora may be key to the development of inflammation by stimulating the secretion of inflammatory factors. This study aimed to examine plasma inflammatory markers and endotoxin levels in individuals with a sedentary lifestyle and/or in highly trained subjects at rest.


METHODS
Fourteen male subjects (sedentary lifestyle n = 7; highly trained subjects n = 7) were recruited. Blood samples were collected after an overnight fast (approximately 12 h). The plasmatic endotoxin, plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP1), ICAM/CD54, VCAM/CD106 and lipid profile levels were determined.


RESULTS
Endotoxinemia was lower in the highly trained subject group relative to the sedentary subjects (p < 0.002). In addition, we observed a positive correlation between endotoxin and PAI-1 (r = 0.85, p < 0.0001), endotoxin and total cholesterol (r = 0.65; p < 0.01), endotoxin and LDL-c (r = 0.55; p < 0.049) and endotoxin and TG levels (r = 0.90; p < 0.0001). The plasma levels of MCP-1, ICAM/CD54 and VCAM/CD106 did not differ.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that a lifestyle associated with high-intensity and high-volume exercise induces favorable changes in chronic low-grade inflammation markers and may reduce the risk for diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Lira
Fabio S
FS
Department of Physiology, Division of Nutrition Physiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. lira@unifesp.br
Rosa
Jose C
JC
Pimentel
Gustavo D
GD
Souza
Hélio A
HA
Caperuto
Erico C
EC
Carnevali
Luiz C
LC
Seelaender
Marília
M
Damaso
Ana R
AR
Oyama
Lila M
LM
de Mello
Marco T
MT
Santos
Ronaldo V
RV
D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D001642:Bicycling; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood; D019446:Endotoxemia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000097:blood; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000097:blood; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000097:blood*; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D004731:Endotoxins; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D008055:Lipids; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; C051321:SERPINE1 protein, human; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1