The effect of marathon on mRNA expression of anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic proteins and sirtuins family in male recreational long-distance runners

In our research, we investigated the effect of physical load on the extent of apoptosis in primary cells derived from blood samples of sixteen healthy amateur runners after marathon (a.m.).Blood samples were collected from ten healthy amateur runners peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from whole blood and bcl-2, bax, heat shock protein (HSP)70, Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD), Mn-SOD, inducible nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS), SIRT1, SIRT3 and SIRT4 (Sirtuins) RNA levels were determined by Northern Blot analysis. Strenuous physical load significantly increased HSP70, HSP32, Mn-SOD, Cu-Zn SOD, iNOS, GADD45, bcl-2, forkhead box O (FOXO3A) and SIRT1 expression after the marathon, while decreasing bax, SIRT3 and SIRT4 expression (P < 0.0001).These data suggest that the physiological load imposed in amateur runners during marathon attenuates the extent of apoptosis and may interfere with sirtuin expression.Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a normal physiological function essential for the homeostasis of immuno haemopoietic tissues. This process occurs via specific signaling pathways, eventually leading to DNA fragmentation, nuclear condensation, proteolysis and cell fragmentation [1]. An important regulatory event in the apoptotic process is the activation of caspases, a family of cysteine proteases, which regulate two major and relatively distinct pathways, the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. The extrinsic pathway known also as mitochondrial pathway involves pro- and anti-apoptotic members of the bcl-2 family of proteins [2,3].The initiation of apoptosis is dependent on a variety of signals, many of which can be modulated by strenuous exercise [4-7]. Consequently, it has been suggested that apoptosis contributes to the loss of blood lymphocytes after exercise possibly via the cell surface death receptor CD95 (Fas/Apo-1) signaling [8-10], resulting in post-exercise lymphocytopenia, which could lead to lowered immunity in athletes performing f