Association between redox biomarkers, DNA damage and aerobic capacity before and after physical stress in young men

The interaction of reactive molecules with proteins, lipids and carbohydrates results in the formation of compounds generally called redox biomarkers. It is widely recognized that high intensity exercise results in an increase of oxidative stress which in turn induces DNA damage. However, aerobic tr...

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Main Authors: Daniela Weber, Jonas Thimm, Tamina Seiz, Bastian Kochlik, Jana Raupbach, Alexander Bürkle, Tilman Grune, Markus Gruber, Maria Moreno-Villanueva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Redox Biology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231725002770
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author Daniela Weber
Jonas Thimm
Tamina Seiz
Bastian Kochlik
Jana Raupbach
Alexander Bürkle
Tilman Grune
Markus Gruber
Maria Moreno-Villanueva
author_facet Daniela Weber
Jonas Thimm
Tamina Seiz
Bastian Kochlik
Jana Raupbach
Alexander Bürkle
Tilman Grune
Markus Gruber
Maria Moreno-Villanueva
author_sort Daniela Weber
collection DOAJ
description The interaction of reactive molecules with proteins, lipids and carbohydrates results in the formation of compounds generally called redox biomarkers. It is widely recognized that high intensity exercise results in an increase of oxidative stress which in turn induces DNA damage. However, aerobic trained individuals seem to be less affected than untrained individuals. We previously showed that exercise-induced DNA damage is indeed higher in untrained individuals compared with trained individuals. But to which extent redox biomarkers are associated with DNA damage and how both are associated with aerobic capacity remains unclear. Therefore, we measured well-established redox biomarkers in plasma from young healthy volunteers before and after exhaustive exercise. We found that aerobic capacity, as measured by the level of VO2 peak, is negatively associated with glyoxal, methylglyoxal and 3-deoxyglucosone concentration in plasma before and after exhaustive physical exercise. In contrast, protein carbonyls, 3-nitrotyrosine and malondialdehyde were not associated with aerobic capacity. Interestingly, glyoxal was positively associated with DNA strand breaks in immune cells before but not after exhaustive exercise, indicating a beneficial effect of a high aerobic capacity on DNA integrity. These results provide a potential mechanism of how exercise protects against cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer development.
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spelling doaj-art-6f01c182b40d41d9bda1daaf1b9af7f22025-08-24T05:12:34ZengElsevierRedox Biology2213-23172025-09-018510376410.1016/j.redox.2025.103764Association between redox biomarkers, DNA damage and aerobic capacity before and after physical stress in young menDaniela Weber0Jonas Thimm1Tamina Seiz2Bastian Kochlik3Jana Raupbach4Alexander Bürkle5Tilman Grune6Markus Gruber7Maria Moreno-Villanueva8Department of Molecular Toxicology, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 14558, GermanyHuman Performance Research Centre, Department of Sport Science, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Toxicology, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 14558, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Toxicology, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 14558, Germany; Human Study Center for Consumer Health Protection, Department Food Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), 10589, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Toxicology, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 14558, Germany; Technical University Braunschweig, Institute of Food Chemistry, 38106, Braunschweig, GermanyMolecular Toxicology Group, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Toxicology, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 14558, Germany; German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Berlin, Potsdamer Straße 58, Berlin, Germany; Institute of Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, 14469, GermanyHuman Performance Research Centre, Department of Sport Science, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, GermanyHuman Performance Research Centre, Department of Sport Science, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany; Corresponding author.The interaction of reactive molecules with proteins, lipids and carbohydrates results in the formation of compounds generally called redox biomarkers. It is widely recognized that high intensity exercise results in an increase of oxidative stress which in turn induces DNA damage. However, aerobic trained individuals seem to be less affected than untrained individuals. We previously showed that exercise-induced DNA damage is indeed higher in untrained individuals compared with trained individuals. But to which extent redox biomarkers are associated with DNA damage and how both are associated with aerobic capacity remains unclear. Therefore, we measured well-established redox biomarkers in plasma from young healthy volunteers before and after exhaustive exercise. We found that aerobic capacity, as measured by the level of VO2 peak, is negatively associated with glyoxal, methylglyoxal and 3-deoxyglucosone concentration in plasma before and after exhaustive physical exercise. In contrast, protein carbonyls, 3-nitrotyrosine and malondialdehyde were not associated with aerobic capacity. Interestingly, glyoxal was positively associated with DNA strand breaks in immune cells before but not after exhaustive exercise, indicating a beneficial effect of a high aerobic capacity on DNA integrity. These results provide a potential mechanism of how exercise protects against cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer development.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231725002770Redox biomarkersReactive dicarbonylsDNA damageAerobic capacity
spellingShingle Daniela Weber
Jonas Thimm
Tamina Seiz
Bastian Kochlik
Jana Raupbach
Alexander Bürkle
Tilman Grune
Markus Gruber
Maria Moreno-Villanueva
Association between redox biomarkers, DNA damage and aerobic capacity before and after physical stress in young men
Redox Biology
Redox biomarkers
Reactive dicarbonyls
DNA damage
Aerobic capacity
title Association between redox biomarkers, DNA damage and aerobic capacity before and after physical stress in young men
title_full Association between redox biomarkers, DNA damage and aerobic capacity before and after physical stress in young men
title_fullStr Association between redox biomarkers, DNA damage and aerobic capacity before and after physical stress in young men
title_full_unstemmed Association between redox biomarkers, DNA damage and aerobic capacity before and after physical stress in young men
title_short Association between redox biomarkers, DNA damage and aerobic capacity before and after physical stress in young men
title_sort association between redox biomarkers dna damage and aerobic capacity before and after physical stress in young men
topic Redox biomarkers
Reactive dicarbonyls
DNA damage
Aerobic capacity
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231725002770
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