Sixteen weeks of resistance training decrease plasma heat shock protein 72 (eHSP72) and increase muscle mass without
K Perreault1,2, A Courchesne-Loyer2,3, M Fortier2
1Faculté des sciences de l'activité physique, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Background:
Sarcopenia has been associated with increased systemic inflammation and risk of physical disability in older adults. Recently, extracellular heat shock protein 72 (eHSP72) was proposed as a biomarker of sarcopenia but its response to interventions designed to increase muscle mass has never been evaluated.
Aims:
The present study was designed to (1) assess eHSP72 levels following resistance training and, (2) determine whether changes in eHSP72 correlate to changes in muscle mass and inflammatory markers.
Methods:
A total of 26 sarcopenic men participated in a 16-week resistance training program. The following variables were measured pre-post-intervention: plasma HSP72, serum high sensitivity (hs) inflammatory markers: interleukin-6 (hsIL-6), C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (hsTNF-α), lean body mass (LBM) and appendicular muscle mass index (appMMI).
Results:
eHSP72 was detected in 47 % of our participants and its level significantly decreased (P = 0.04) after the intervention, with a concomitant increase in several LBM variables and appMMI (all P < 0.035). Serum hsIL-6, hsCRP and hsTNF-α changes did not reach significance. Baseline hsIL-6 and hsCRP levels were negatively correlated with several LBM variables but solely baseline hsIL-6 was associated with changes in appLBM. No correlations were found between changes in measured variables.
Discussion:
Attenuation of eHSP72 following resistance training in parallel with increase in LBM variables showed a concordance between the evolution of this biomarker and a clinical outcome relevant to sarcopenia.
Conclusion:
Nevertheless, the low bloodstream detection rate of eHSP72 in a sarcopenic otherwise healthy population might limit its use in clinical settings for now.
