The Impact Of Exercise Training On Oxidative Stress In Spinal Cord-injured Individuals

Abstract

Spinal cord-injured (SCI) individuals have a high risk for cardiovascular diseases. An imbalance in (anti)oxidative status would be associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. OBJECTIVE: To compare baseline levels of oxidative stress and antioxidative capacity in SCI individuals and able-bodied (AB) subjects, and to assess acute and long-term effects of functional electrical stimulation (FES) exercise on oxidative stress and antioxidative capacity in SCI. METHODS: Venous blood was taken from SCI (n=9) and age-matched AB subjects (n=9) to examine oxidative stress through malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, while superoxide dismutase (SOD) and gluthatione peroxidase (GPx) enzyme levels represented anti-oxidative capacity. Subsequently, SCI subjects performed an 8 week FES exercise training period. Blood was taken at fixed time points to examine the acute and chronic effect of FES exercise. RESULTS: Baseline levels of MDA, SOD and GPx were not different between SCI and AB subjects. Both, a single FES exercise bout and 8 weeks FES training, had no effect on MDA, SOD and GPx levels. CONCLUSION: The preserved (anti)oxidative status in SCI suggests that the increased prevalence for CVD in SCI is unlikely explained by (anti)oxidative imbalance. Furthermore, the stimulus induced by FES exercise is possibly insufficient to change (anti)oxidative status in SCI individuals.