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Effect of pre-term birth on oxidative stress responses to normoxic and hypoxic exercise
Agnès Martin1, Grégoire Millet2, Damjan Osredkar3
1Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité EA 7424, Faculté de Médecine Rockefeller, 69008 Lyon, France; Univ Lyon, Université Jean Monet Saint-Etienne, Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité EA 7424, Faculté de Médecine, Campus Santé Innovation, 10 rue de la Marandière10 rue de la Marandière, Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, France; Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Master BioSciences, Department of Biology, École Normale Supérieure of Lyon, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 LYON CEDEX 07, Lyon, France.
Insights
Adults born prematurely show greater resistance to exercise-induced oxidative stress during hypoxia. This suggests long-term adaptations in how the body handles physical stress and low oxygen levels after pre-term birth.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Environmental Medicine
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Pre-term birth affects ~10% of global births, with unclear long-term health impacts.
- Elevated oxidative stress in pre-term infants may persist into adulthood.
- Oxidative stress is crucial in responses to exercise and hypoxia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if oxidative stress responses to acute exercise differ between pre-term and full-term born adults.
- To compare responses under normoxia and normobaric hypoxia.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-two pre-term and fifteen full-term born adults underwent maximal incremental cycling tests.
- Tests were conducted in normoxia (FiO2: 0.21) and hypoxia (FiO2: 0.13).
- Plasma markers of oxidative, antioxidant, and nitrosative stress were measured pre- and post-exercise.
Main Results:
- Exercise increased oxidative stress markers (AOPP, CAT, SOD) and NOx levels regardless of birth status or condition.
- No differences in exercise response were observed between groups in normoxia.
- Hypoxia during exercise increased oxidative stress markers (AOPP, CAT) and NOx trend only in full-term born individuals, not pre-term born.
Conclusions:
- Pre-term born adults demonstrate enhanced resistance to exercise-induced oxidative stress during hypoxia.
- This suggests long-term physiological adaptations in individuals born pre-term.
- Findings highlight potential differences in stress response related to birth history.
Abstract:
Pre-term birth is a major health concern that occurs in approximately 10% of births worldwide. Despite high incidence rate, long-term consequences of pre-term birth remain unclear. Recent evidence suggests that elevated oxidative stress observed in pre-term born infants could persist into adulthood. Given that oxidative stress is known to play an important role in response to physical activity and hypoxia, we investigated whether oxidative stress responses to acute exercise in normoxia and hypoxia may be differently modulated in pre-term vs. full-term born adults. Twenty-two pre-term born and fifteen age-matched full-term born controls performed maximal incremental cycling tests in both normoxia (FiO2: 0.21) and normobaric hypoxia (FiO2: 0.13; simulated altitude of 3800 m) in blinded and randomized manner. Plasma levels of oxidative stress (advanced oxidation protein products [AOPP] and malondialdehyde), antioxidant (ferric reducing antioxidant power, glutathione peroxidase, catalase [CAT] and superoxide dismutase [SOD]) and nitrosative stress markers (nitrotyrosine, nitrite and total nitrite and nitrate [NOx]) were measured before and immediately after each test. AOPP (+24%, P<0.001), CAT (+38%, P<0.001) and SOD (+12%, P=0.018) and NOx (+17%, P=0.024) significantly increased in response to exercise independently of condition and birth status. No difference in response to acute exercise in normoxia was noted between pre-term and full-term born adults in any of measured markers. Hypoxic exposure during exercise resulted in significant increase in AOPP (+45%, P=0.008), CAT (+55%, P=0.019) and a trend for an increase in nitrite/nitrate content (+35%, P=0.107) only in full-term and not pre-term born individuals. These results suggest that prematurely born adult individuals exhibit higher resistance to oxidative stress response to exercise in hypoxia.
