The Effect Of High Intensity Interval Exercise On Agonists Of Uegf In Healthy Individuals Free Of Cardiometabolic Diseases

The influence of aerobic exercise on renal health and filtration (RHF) in healthy individuals is becoming more studied, yet the mechanisms behind these changes continue to elude researchers and clinicians. Recently, a growing number of studies support utilizing contemporary biomarker urine epidermal growth factor (uEGF) in clinical populations to assess baseline RHF. What is not fully understood are the mechanisms that stimulate the production of uEGF after aerobic exercise, specifically acute influences of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and the overall impact on RHF in healthy populations. PURPOSE: To determine the influence that an acute bout of HIIE has on agonists of uEGF in healthy individuals. METHODS: Sixteen participants (n = 8 men; n = 8 women; age 35.9 + 14.1 yr; BF% 18.4 + 6.7%; VO2max 42.3 + 7.6 ml/kg/min-1) completed 30 min of HIIE by treadmill running (80% and 40% of VO2reserve in 3:2 min ratio). The blood and urine samples were obtained under standardized fasting (8 > hr.) conditions just before, 1-hr, and 24-hrs post-exercise. Biomarkers insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), uEGF, and albumin were assessed. The data were analyzed using paired sample t-tests and repeated measures ANOVAs. All analyses were performed using SPSS (v. 28.0.1.1). RESULTS: Concentrations of TGF-β (t = -2.373, p = 0.031) and albumin (t = -2.440, p = 0.028) were significantly increased 1-hr post-exercise while IGF-1 was significantly decreased at 1-hr and 24-hr post-exercise (t = 3.300, p = 0.005). uEGF was not significantly altered at any time point. CONCLUSIONS: The study outcomes regarding the mechanism of uEGF production via stimulation of agonists of uEGF in healthy individuals after an acute bout of HIIE remain inconclusive. There appears to be a simultaneous activating and inhibiting effect on uEGF agonists resulting in unaltered responses in uEGF. Assessment of individual responders vs non-responders and higher participant numbers are needed to fully elucidate study outcomes.