Abstract
Monitoring approaches and technical improvements are key factors to improve a sportsman’s health, training, and recovery after an injury. In this study, a targeted metabolomics approach using microsampling with hemaPEN® was developed to measure changes in blood concentrations of nine amino acids and four organic acids before, during, and after exercise. The aim of this research project was to investigate if a reliable monitoring of metabolite levels during sports activity can be achieved by collecting one drop of whole blood at different time points. A hemaPEN device is an easy-to-use and noninvasive microsampling technique designed to collect four accurate and precise blood volumes simultaneously (10.96 µl). Twenty healthy volunteers between 19 and 30 years of age were included in this study. Physical activity consisted in running as fast as possible 1,600 m after 400 m warm-up. One drop of blood was collected at five time points: before exercise, after 800-m running, after 1,600 m, and 30 min and 60 min after finishing the exercise. The influence of physical activity on metabolite levels was evaluated using two ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) methods. Analytical performance criteria such as metabolite stability, method precision, trueness, and accuracy were found to be satisfactory. Expected significant metabolic changes were identified for lactic acid, main TCA cycle intermediates, and some amino acids (e.g., creatinine, choline, and taurine). This preliminary study performed on a small cohort demonstrated a high interest of using microsampling for fluxomics analysis, not only to collect quickly and easily biological samples during sports events but also because it is much easier to store and to process the samples than classical plasma/serum samples obtained by venipuncture. The present results open new avenue for fluxomics analysis in the context of health care.
Highlights
Exercise is one key factor to sustain good health (Kelly et al, 2020)
Five samples were collected by each participant before, during, and after a physical activity consisting in 1,600 m of intensive running
This study focused on 13 metabolites because the influence of physical activity on their blood concentration is well-described in the literature (Stander et al, 2018; Schranner et al, 2020)
Summary
Exercise is one key factor to sustain good health (Kelly et al, 2020). it is widely proven that physical activity reduces the risk of obesity (Mielke et al, 2019), cardiovascular diseases (Porter et al, 2019), diabetes, hypertension (Aune et al, 2015), and depression (Matta et al, 2021). Despite all the recognized benefits of sports, worldwide around 1 in 4 adults is not sufficiently physically active (WHO, 2020). In order to avoid any risk of injury, it is crucial that sports practice is supervised and adapted to each person. This consideration is crucial since an injury can have a big impact on their health and their career as well as financial repercussions. The number of competitions in which athletes participate is increasing. Athletes intensify their training to be always competitive. To avoid the risk of injury, several strategies are available
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