Effect of concentric and eccentric exercises on some myokines, angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors in male individuals

Angiogenesis means the formation of new blood vessels from existing capillary blood vessels. It is a physiological process that occurs naturally in the body (in embryogenesis, wound healing and the female reproductive system), but there may also be some conditions in which it is pathological (in inflammatory diseases, some cancers and some eye-related diseases). When angiogenic factors in the blood predominate, angiogenesis occurs; conversely, when antiangiogenic factors in the blood predominate, angiogenesis is suppressed. Exercise also produces a strong angiogenic stimulus within active muscle. Our aim in this study is to determine the effects of concentric and eccentric exercise types on angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors, myokine values related to inflammation and angiogenesis, and creatine kinase, one of the muscle damage markers, in individuals. For this purpose, in our study conducted with 24 volunteers, two exercise groups, concentric exercise (KE) group (n = 11) and eccentric exercise (EE) group (n = 13), were created and a 2-week (6 sessions) resistance exercise program was applied to these groups under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Blood samples were collected and serum was obtained from the volunteers participating in the study at 3 different times (before starting exercise = control, after the first exercise session = acute and after the last exercise session = chronic). VEGF, Angiopoietin-1, Endostatin, Thrombospondin-1, IL-6 and IL-8 levels in these serum samples were studied by ELISA method. CK levels were also measured by Fluorescence Flow Cytometry method. When the results of our study were evaluated, VEGF, one of the angiogenic factors, increased significantly over time in both groups, while Angiopoietin-1 levels did not change in either group. The group-time relationship did not differ for either variable. Endostatin levels, one of the antiangiogenic factors, showed a significant increase over time in the eccentric group, but no change was observed in the concentric group; Thrombospondin-1 decreased over time in both groups. The group-time relationship did not differ for either antiangiogenic variable. Both IL-6 and IL-8 showed significant increases over time in both groups, but there was no difference between groups in either variable. CK levels showed a significant increase over time in the eccentric group, but there was no change in the concentric group. However, the group-time interaction was again not significant. As a result, angiogenic factors showed similar changes in both groups, and no differences were found between the groups. However, the increase in Endostatin, one of the anti-angiogenic factors, only with eccentric exercise may be important for the modulation of angiogenesis.