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Review
. 2021 Dec 17;10(12):2008.
doi: 10.3390/antiox10122008.

Non-Invasive Measurement of Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress in Response to Physical Activity. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Giulia Squillacioti  1 , Fulvia Guglieri  1 , Nicoletta Colombi  2 , Federica Ghelli  1 , Paola Berchialla  3 , Paolo Gardois  2 , Roberto Bono  1
Affiliations
Review

Non-Invasive Measurement of Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress in Response to Physical Activity. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Giulia Squillacioti et al. Antioxidants (Basel). .

Abstract

Physical activity may benefit health by modulating oxidative stress and inflammation. However, the selection of suitable exercise-induced oxidative stress biomarkers is still challenging. This study aimed at systematically summarizing the available evidence on exercise-induced oxidative stress measured in urine and/or saliva. Two meta-analyses including the most frequently quantified biomarkers of oxidative stress, namely, urinary isoprostane and DNA oxidation products, were performed. Three electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane CENTRAL) were interrogated. Among 4479 records, 43 original articles were included in the systematic review and 11 articles were included in meta-analysis I and II, respectively. We observed a pooled trend of increase of urinary isoprostanes in response to physical activity (+0.95, 95% CI: -0.18; 2.09). In comparison with aerobic exercise, anaerobic training determined a greater induction of isoprostanes (+5.21, 95% CI: 2.76; 7.66, p < 0.0001), which were markedly increased after vigorous physical activity (+6.01, 95% CI: 1.18; 10.84, p < 0.001) and slightly decreased in response to exercise interventions protracted over time (e.g., months) (-1.19, 95% CI: -2.25; -0.12, p < 0.001). We recommend the most integrative approach of oxidative stress multi-marker panels in response to physical activity instead of selecting one preferential biomarker to quantify physical activity-induced oxidative stress in humans.

Keywords: non-invasive biomarker; oxidative stress; physical activity; public health; saliva; urine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Step-by-step study selection process. Modified from: [20].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Salivary biomarkers of oxidative stress according to the studies included in the systematic review. Note: Data are reported as percentage changes after physical activity interventions and according to the significance level (i.e., NS = not significant). HI = high intensity of physical activity; MI = moderate intensity of physical activity; LI = low intensity of physical activity.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pooled effect of physical activity interventions and oxidative stress measured by urinary 8-OH-dG or 8-oxo-dG. Note: Data presented as sub-groups “A” and “B” refer to moderate-intensity physical activity and high-intensity physical activity, respectively. Data presented as sub-groups “A”, “B” and “C” refer to running on a treadmill until exhaustion, cycling until exhaustion and running for 20 km, respectively.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Pooled effect of physical activity interventions and oxidative stress measured by urinary isoprostanes. Note: Data presented as sub-groups “A” and “B” refer to males and females, respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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