Salivary Metabolite Variation After High-Intensity Rowing Training and Potential Biomarker Screening for...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biochemistry
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is a common training risk.
• Current EIMD diagnosis relies on blood tests or imaging.
• Saliva analysis offers a promising, non-invasive alternative for EIMD prediction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in salivary metabolites following high-intensity exercise.
• To identify potential salivary biomarkers for predicting EIMD.
• To evaluate the efficacy of saliva analysis for EIMD detection.

Main Methods:

• 18 participants underwent high-intensity rowing training.
• EIMD occurrence was confirmed via blood analysis and pain assessment.
• Pseudo-targeted metabolomics analyzed salivary metabolite alterations post-exercise.

Main Results:

• Significant increases (43) and decreases (31) in salivary metabolites were observed.
• Upregulated metabolites correlated with hormone secretion, antioxidation, and muscle repair.
• A predictive model identified three salivary biomarkers with high sensitivity (>88.9%) and specificity (>94.4%), achieving ~100% accuracy with combined metabolites.

Conclusions:

• High-intensity training and EIMD significantly alter salivary metabolite profiles.
• Salivary metabolite trends mirror some blood biochemical indicators.
• Salivary biomarkers, especially when combined, show strong potential for accurate EIMD prediction.