Effects of a 6-wk Sprint Interval Training Protocol at Different Altitudes on Circulating Extracellular Vesicles

This study aimed to investigate the modulation of circulating exosome-like extracellular vesicles (ELVs) after 6 wk of sprint interval training (SIT) at sea level and at 2000, 3000, and 4000 m.

Thirty trained endurance male athletes (18-35 yr) participated in a 6-wk SIT program (30-s all-out sprint, 4-min 30-s recovery; 4-9 repetitions, 2 sessions per week) at sea level ( n = 8), 2000 m (fraction of inspired oxygen (F io2 ) 0.167, n = 8), 3000 m (F io2 0.145, n = 7), or 4000 m (F io2 0.13, n = 7). Venous blood samples were taken before and after the training period. Plasma ELVs were isolated by size exclusion chromatography, counted by nanoparticle tracking analysis, and characterized according to international standards. Candidate ELV microRNAs (miRNAs) were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

When the three hypoxic groups were analyzed separately, only very minor differences could be detected in the levels of circulating particles, ELV markers, or miRNA. However, the levels of circulating particles increased (+262%) after training when the three hypoxic groups were pooled, and tended to increase at sea level (+65%), with no difference between these two groups. A trend to an increase was observed for the two ELV markers, TSG101 (+65%) and HSP60 (+441%), at sea level, but not in hypoxia. Training also seemed to decrease the abundance of miR-23a-3p and to increase the abundance of miR-21-5p in hypoxia but not at sea level.

A 6-wk SIT program tended to increase the basal levels of circulating ELVs when performed at sea level but not in hypoxia. In contrast, ELV miRNA cargo seemed to be modulated in hypoxic conditions only. Further research should explore the potential differences in the origin of ELVs between normoxic and local and systemic hypoxic conditions.