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. 2025 Jul 8:16:1546370.
doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1546370. eCollection 2025.

Decorin levels and cardiometabolic function after endurance exercise

Antônio Alves de Fontes-Junior  1 , Cesar Augustus Zocoler de Sousa  1 , Leandro Barbosa de Oliveira  1 , Ana Paula Renno Sierra  2 , Maria Fernanda Cury-Boaventura  1
Affiliations

Decorin levels and cardiometabolic function after endurance exercise

Antônio Alves de Fontes-Junior et al. Front Physiol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Decorin is secreted from myotubes in response to exercise and plays a vital role in repairing and regenerate skeletal and cardiac muscle. The role of decorin levels in cardiometabolic function after endurance exercise was investigated.

Methods: Fifty-six male amateur runners, aged 30 to 55 years, participated in this study. Plasma decorin levels were determined and cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) was performed using a breath-by-breath system before and after the marathon.

Results: Correlations between decorin levels and CPET parameters were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation test. Runners were categorized into percentiles based on decorin concentrations, and group differences were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dunn's post hoc multiple comparisons.We observed impairments in peak VO2 and in the Oxygen Uptake Efficiency Slope (OUES) following the race. Plasma decorin levels increased approximately two-fold immediately after the race. Post-race decorin concentrations were positively correlated with maximum speed (km/h), VO2 (mL/kg/min), VE/VCO2, VE/VCO2 slope, OUES, and the rate of change in VE/VCO2 and VE/VCO2 slope. Runners with plasma decorin levels below the 25th percentile exhibited significantly lower OUES, while those above the 75th percentile demonstrated higher maximum speed, VE/VCO2, rate of change in VE/VCO2 slope, and VCO2 compared to individuals in the lowest quartile.

Discussion: Overall, decorin levels were associated with several CPET parameters, suggesting that runners with varying decorin concentrations may exhibit distinct respiratory and/or metabolic profiles. The potential influence of an elevated VE/VCO2 slope on cardiometabolic responses in runners with higher decorin levels warrants further investigation.

Keywords: decorin; exercise; metabolism; myokine; performance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Experimental design of the study.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing parameters in runners with varying decorin levels after the race. Data are presented as mean ± SD for OUES (A), maximum speed (B), VE/VCO2 (C), and PETCO2 (D) and RQ (E) at peak exercise. Runners were grouped by decorin levels into four categories: below the 25th percentile (n = 13), between the 25th and 50th percentiles (n = 11), between the 50th and 75th percentiles (n = 14), and above the 75th percentile (n = 13).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Rate of change in VE/VCO2 slope in runners with varying decorin levels after the race. Data are presented as individual values and mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM) for changes in OUES (ratio of post-race to pre-race values) in runners grouped by decorin levels: below the 25th percentile (n = 13), between the 25th and 50th percentiles (n = 11), between the 50th and 75th percentiles (n = 14), and above the 75th percentile (n = 13).
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