The comparison of serum inflammation markers; midkine, hscrp, mc-1, tnf alfa and tgf beta-1 in elite master athletes, recreational athletes and sedentary men

Aim: High intensity training programs are known to cause muscle injury and fibrosis. How fibrosis seen in master athletes differs as a result of regeneration should be examined. Therefore, in this study, Midkine (MK), Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1), High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP), Tumor Necrosis Factor Alfa (TNF-a), Transforming Growth Factor Beta1 (TGF beta1), Klotho hormone, vitamin D, creatine kinase (CK) and phosphorus (P) were examined in 45-65 year-old elite marathon athletes (>10 years, EMAG), recreative athletes (<10 years; RG) and sedentary participant groups (CG) to determine which group has more muscle fibrosis or regeneration. Method: 60 healthy male participants were divided into 3 groups: EMAG (n=22), RG (n=21) and CG (n=17). EMAG was composed of athletes who performed high-intensity training programs in relation with the races they would participate throughout the year. RG members have been regularly walking or jogging for years, minimum 3 days a week, not exceeding an hour. CG was composed of sedentary individuals. 10-hour fasting venous blood (10 ml) was taken from EMAG, RG, and CG between 8-10 a.m. by experts and resting serum levels of the markers were compared. Intergroup differences were analyzed with the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Intergroup comparisons revealed significant differences in HsCRP, TGF Beta 1, Vitamin D, P (p<0.05), Klotho, CK (p<0.01) levels favoring EMAG. Conclusion: Regular long-term endurance training has been found to have a long-term positive impact on regeneration of muscle damage and inflammation. One of the most outstanding results of this study is the high levels of Klotho hormone determined in EMAG, which serves a longer and healthier life by extending the initiation process of many illnesses including metabolic diseases. Key words: Master athletes, Inflammation, Midkine, Klotho hormone