Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2023, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (23): 3755-3762.doi: 10.12307/2023.582

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Exhaled breath condensate specimens for testing airway health during exercise

Peng Mengzhu1, Yang Xiangang2, Xing Lili3, Li Guojun3   

  1. 1Physical Education College of Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, Hebei Province, China; 2Bicycle Sports Center of Hebei Sports Bureau, Qinhuangdao 066000, Hebei Province, China; 3Hebei Institute of Sports Science, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei Province, China
  • Received:2022-09-01 Accepted:2022-10-27 Online:2023-08-18 Published:2023-01-16
  • Contact: Yang Xiangang, PhD, Researcher, Bicycle Sports Center of Hebei Sports Bureau, Qinhuangdao 066000, Hebei Province, China
  • About author:Peng Mengzhu, Master candidate, Physical Education College of Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, Hebei Province, China
  • Supported by:
    National Key Research and Development Plan for High-tech Olympics, No. 2019YFF0301602 (to YXG, XLL, LGJ [project participants])

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Exercise is an important trigger of the high level of oxidative stress in the airway. In elite athletes, sports asthma and exercise-induced bronchial stenosis are related to airway inflammation. Accurate monitoring of homeostatic perturbations following various psychophysiological stressors is essential in sports and exercise medicine. It is of great practical importance to explore non-invasive methods of collecting and analyzing biomarkers that are capable of providing accurate information regarding exercise-induced physiological and psychological stress. 
OBJECTIVE: To summarize the characteristics of oxidative stress, inflammatory response and acid-base changes in the airway detected by exhaled breath condensate detection during intense exercise, competition and overtraining.
METHODS: CNKI, Baidu Scholar, and PubMed were retrieved for relevant literature on the application of biomarkers in exhaled breath condensate for detecting the airway health status of healthy people and patients with respiratory diseases during exercise at home and abroad from June 1980 to September 2022 using the keywords of “exhaled breath condensate, exercise,” “airway inflammation” “airway oxidative stress,” “exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, EIB,” “exercise-induced asthma, EIA.” Retrieved literature was summarized to lay a preliminary foundation for constructing non-invasive and convenient monitoring means and guarantee of airway health in exercise population.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Moderate exercise increases the pH value of exhaled breath condensate in different populations, while repeated strenuous exercise can lead to airway acidification. Exercise increases the levels of pro-oxidants in exhaled breath condensate, and the duration and intensity are related to the generation of pro-oxidants. Exercise under special environmental conditions (pollution, cold, dehydration and altitude) exacerbates oxidative stress levels and inflammation degree in the airway. Elevated cytokines, inflammatory mediators, and acute changes in airway pH in exhaled breath condensate are associated with the development of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. In view of the clinical standardization of specimen collection, processing, storage and data analysis, the application of exhaled breath condensate technique in the field of sports science should standardize the collection and processing process, determine sensitive biomarkers and establish evaluation criteria corresponding to exercise load and stress level.

Key words: exhaled breath condensate, exercise, airway, oxidative stress, airway, inflammatory response, exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, exercise-induced asthma

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