8-Iso-Prostaglandin F2α and Lipoxygenase Gene Expression as Candidate Molecular Markers of Training Adaptation in...

Intensive training induces redox and inflammatory signaling that may facilitate adaptation but can also reflect excessive physiological strain. In this exploratory pilot longitudinal study, we assessed whether 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α), a lipid peroxidation marker, and transcripts related to arachidonic acid lipoxygenase pathways change during a 10-week preparatory training period in elite female volleyball players. Twelve professional athletes were sampled at baseline after a training break and after training completion. 8-iso-PGF2α was quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the relative expression of arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5), arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase (ALOX12), and arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15) genes was measured by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in leukocytes and plasma-derived RNA. Training increased 8-iso-PGF2α from 0.06 [0.05-0.09] to 0.16 [0.08-0.22] ng/mL (p = 0.03). ALOX5 expression increased in leukocytes (0.80 ± 0.29 vs. 1.00 ± 0.29; p = 0.02) and plasma-derived RNA (0.03 [0.02-0.06] vs. 0.06 [0.05-0.11]; p = 0.04), whereas no statistically detectable pre-to-post changes were observed for ALOX12 and ALOX15 expression. Given the exploratory design and small sample size, these results should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating. The observed changes suggest that 8-iso-PGF2α and ALOX5 are associated with physiological responses to preparatory training and exercise-induced lipid oxidative remodeling; however, their potential utility for monitoring training adaptation requires validation in larger, prospectively designed controlled cohorts.