Beneficial Effect of Ubiquinol on Hematological and Inflammatory Signaling during Exercise

Abstract

Strenuous exercise (any activity that expends six metabolic equivalents per minute or more causing sensations of fatigue and exhaustion to occur, inducing deleterious effects, affecting negatively different cells), induces muscle damage and hematological changes associated with high production of pro-inflammatory mediators related to muscle damage and sports anemia. The objective of this study was to determine whether short-term oral ubiquinol supplementation can prevent accumulation of inflammatory mediators and hematological impairment associated to strenuous exercise. For this purpose, 100 healthy and well-trained firemen were classified in two groups: Ubiquinol (experimental group), and placebo group (control). The protocol was two identical strenuous exercise tests with rest period between tests of 24 h. Blood samples were collected before supplementation (basal value) (T1), after supplementation (T2), after first physical exercise test (T3), after 24 h of rest (T4), and after second physical exercise test (T5). Hematological parameters, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors were measured. Red blood cells (RBC), hematocrit, hemoglobin, VEGF, NO, EGF, IL-1ra, and IL-10 increased in the ubiquinol group while IL-1, IL-8, and MCP-1 decreased. Ubiquinol supplementation during high intensity exercise could modulate inflammatory signaling, expression of pro-inflammatory, and increasing some anti-inflammatory cytokines. During exercise, RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, VEGF, and EGF increased in ubiquinol group, revealing a possible pro-angiogenic effect, improving oxygen supply and exerting a possible protective effect on other physiological alterations.

Keywords: ergogenic effect; hematological parameters; high intensity exercise; inflammation; ubiquinol.

Figure 1

Effects of exercise and ubiquinol supplementation on plasma cytokines: interleukin (IL)-1 (A), IL-1ra (B), IL-6 (C), IL-8 (D), IL-10 (E), IL-15 (F). Results are expressed as the mean ± SEM. * means statistically significant differences between groups (p < 0.05). T1: Before supplementation (basal value); T2: After supplementation (two weeks) and before the first physical test; T3: After first physical exercise test; T4: After 24 h of rest and before the second physical test; T5: After second physical exercise test. Different letters in every group indicates significant differences due to the time (control (A, B, C, D, E); ubiquinol (a, b, c, d, e)) (p < 0.05).

Figure 2

Effects of exercise and ubiquinol supplementation on plasma cytokines: tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (A), interferon gamma (IFN-γ) (B), epidermal growth factor (EGF) (C), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (D), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) (E). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. * means statistically significant differences between groups (p < 0.05). T1: Before supplementation (basal value); T2: After supplementation (two weeks) and before the first physical test; T3: After first physical exercise test; T4: After 24 h of rest and before the second physical test; T5: After second physical exercise test. Different letters in every group indicates significant differences due to the time (control (A, B, C, D, E); ubiquinol (a, b, c, d, e)) (p < 0.05).

Figure 3

Effects of exercise and ubiquinol supplementation on hematological parameters: Red blood cells (A), hemoglobin (B), hematocrit (C). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. * means statistically significant differences between groups (p < 0.05). T1: Before supplementation (basal value); T2: After supplementation (two weeks) and before the first physical test; T3: After first physical exercise test; T4: After 24 h of rest and before the second physical test; T5: After second physical exercise test. Different letters in every group indicates significant differences due to the time (control (A, B, C, D, E); ubiquinol (a, b, c, d, e)) (p < 0.05).