Volume 51: 139-144, 2002


Post-Exercise Decrease of Plasma Hyaluronan: Increased Clearance or Diminished Production?


H. G. HINGHOFER-SZALKAY1,2 , W. MEKONEN2, A. RÖSSLER1, G. SCHWABERGER1, M. LAMPRECHT3, P. HOFMANN3

1Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Karl-Franzens-University, 2Institute for Adaptive and Spaceflight Physiology, Austrian Society for Aerospace Medicine and 3Institut für Sportwissenschaften, Karl-Franzens-University, Graz, Austria


Received April 10, 2001
Accepted July 19, 2001


Summary
The exercise-induced increase and post-exercise decrease of plasma hyaluronan concentration were studied in human subjects. Six well trained men performed incremental exercise until exhaustion (MAX), intensive (submaximal, SUB) and extensive exercise (moderate, MOD) on a bicycle ergometer, defined as work at 100, 77 and 50 % of maximal oxygen consumption. Hyaluronan was analyzed using a high-sensitivity, proteoglycan-dependent time-resolved immunoassay and hemoglobin, hematocrit and plasma protein levels were assessed using standard laboratory procedures. Compared to resting control levels, the plasma hyaluronan concentration (pHA) increased (p<0.05) by 76 % (65.0±6.1 vs. 37.0±1.0 µg/l) during 15 min MAX, by 44% (56.4±2.6 vs. 39.2±3.8 µg/l) during 30 min SUB and by 27 % (46.3±7.8 vs. 36.4±4.3 µg/l) during 90 min MOD. The increase with time averaged 4.03 %.min-1 during MAX, 1.35%.min-1 during SUB and 0.35 %.min-1 during MOD. After exercise (15 and 30 min), pHA decreased by 43 % below resting levels after MAX (p<0.05) and by 36 % after SUB, respectively. In conclusion, pHA steadily rose with time during physical exertion, with a non-linear increase of concentration/time slope with exercise intensity; second, the magnitude of the post-exercise pHA decrease was proportional to the exercise-induced pHA increase, suggesting elevated hyaluronan clearance with rising plasma levels after physical exertion..


Key words
Hyaluronan · Hyaluronic acid · Lymph flow · Physical exercise · Plasma volume

Reprint requests
H. G. Hinghofer-Szalkay, Department of Physiology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Harrachgasse 21, 8010 Graz, Austria. Tel: +43-316-383638. Fax: +43-316-381270. Email:
helmut.hinghofer@kfunigraz.ac.at

PHYSIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
© 2002 by the Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences

ISSN 0862 - 8408

Issue 2