Changes in plasma C1q, apelin and adropin concentrations in older adults after descending and ascending stair walking intervention

Trevor C Chen,Tai-Ying Chou,Tsang-Hai Huang,Yuh-Chuan Huang,Hsin-Lian Chen,Wei-Chin Tseng,Mei-Yen Chen,Kuo-Wei Tseng,Kazunori Nosaka,Chung-Chan Hsieh

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-96631-x

Abstract

This study compared changes in plasma complement component 1q (C1q), apelin and adropin concentrations in older obese women after descending (DSW) and ascending stair walking (ASW) training (n = 15/group) performed twice a week for 12 weeks, with gradual increases in exercise time from 5 to 60 min. Fasting blood samples were collected 3 days before the first and 4 days after the last training session. The improvements in the maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) strength of the knee extensors, functional physical fitness [e.g., 30-s chair stand (CS) performance], resting systolic blood pressure (SBP), insulin sensitivity [e.g., oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)] and blood lipid profiles [e.g., total cholesterol (TC)] were greater (p < 0.05) in the DSW than ASW group. Plasma C1q decreased (− 51 ± 30%), and apelin (23 ± 15%) and adropin (127 ± 106%) increased (p ≤ .0.05) only after DSW. Significant (p ≤ 0.01) partial correlations were found between the pre- to post-DSW changes in C1q, apelin or adropin and changes in outcome measures [e.g., C1q and MVIC (r = − 0.837), apelin and SBP (r = − 0.854), and andropin and OGTT (r = − 0.729)]. These results showed that greater decreases in plasma C1q and greater increases in apelin and adropin concentrations were associated with greater improvements in outcome measures after DSW than after ASW.

Highlights

This study compared changes in plasma complement component 1q (C1q), apelin and adropin concentrations in older obese women after descending (DSW) and ascending stair walking (ASW) training (n = 15/group) performed twice a week for 12 weeks, with gradual increases in exercise time from 5 to 60 min
We found that knee extensor maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) strength (34%) and physical function (8–42%) were increased, systolic blood pressure (SBP) was decreased by 9%, and insulin sensitivity [e.g., oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results: − 12%] and lipid profiles [e.g., low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) level: − 13%] were improved in elderly obese women who performed descending stair walking (DSW) twice a week for 12 weeks with a progressive increase in repetitions from two (110 steps × 2 = 220 steps) to 24 (110 steps × 24 = 2,640 steps) compared with those who performed ASW (15%, 4–22%, − 2% and − 7%, respectively)[7]
No significant (p > 0.05) differences in any of the outcome measures (Tables 1, 2) or for plasma C1q, apelin and adropin concentrations were found between the DSW and ASW groups (Fig. 1) at the baseline

Summary

Introduction

Contractions, twice a week for 12 weeks was more effective in improving muscle strength, functional physical fitness, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and blood lipid profiles in older obese women than ascending stair walking (ASW), in which the knee extensors mainly undergo concentric c ontractions[7]. It is not known why exercise training involving eccentric contractions (i.e., eccentric training) produces greater adaptations of the muscles that are stimulated during the training and other organs in the body to improve blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and blood lipid profiles[6,8]. It may be that changes in some biomarkers induced by exercise training involving eccentric contractions (e.g., DSW) and that involving concentric contractions (e.g., ASW) are different

Methods

Results

Conclusion