This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Strenuous physical exercise typically results in muscle soreness and injury, especially when the exercise is intense and prolonged. The body's response to the muscle injury involves inflammation, which is characterized by the production and release of cytokines by specialized cells. Cytokines are small proteins that help control and mediate the interaction, communication, and behavior of other cells. In vitro and animal studies have demonstrated that cytokines can stimulate the production of nitric oxide (NO), a pervasive and physiologically active molecule that performs many important functions in the lungs. Because NO can be detected in the exhaled breath of humans, we hypothesize that cytokine release in response to exercise may contribute to a delayed (i.e., 48 hours) increase in exhaled NO. We propose a delayed NO response because in vitro studies have shown that 24-48 hours are needed to induce a change in the synthesis of proteins, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme that synthesizes NO. The purpose of this research study is to determine whether strenuous exercise in a group of healthy young adults is capable of inducing an increase in exhaled NO and other markers within 48 hours of the exercise bout. Based on the interaction between cytokines and NO, exhaled NO may be used as a noninvasive marker to monitor inflammation in the lung in response to heavy exercise. By better defining this relationship, the results from this project may provide a better understanding of the effects of exercise on a subgroup of the population and provide new information that may be used to design an exercise regimen based on an individual's NO exhalation profile.
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