AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 267, Issue 4 E537-E543, Copyright © 1994 by American Physiological Society
Plasma and platelet catecholamine and catecholamine sulfate response to various exercise tests
G. Strobel, B. Friedmann, J. Jost and P. Bartsch
Department of Sports Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
We tested the hypothesis that platelet and plasma catecholamine sulfates
(CA-S) and platelet catecholamines (CA) reflect the overall
sympathoadrenergic activation by exercise of 1 h duration. Ten well-trained
subjects performed a low-intensity [62% maximum O2 consumption (VO2max);
LI] and a high-intensity exercise test (77% VO2max; HI) and two tests at a
similar average power output that consisted of 20 min at 77% VO2max and 40
min at 62% VO2max (HI/LI) and vice versa (LI/HI). Plasma norepinephrine
sulfate (NE-S) increased to higher levels after HI than after LI exercise
(15.5 +/- 2.1 vs. 8.9 +/- 0.7 nmol/l). Immediately after HI/LI and LI/HI
plasma NE-S was similarly increased (9.59 +/- 1.1 vs. 9.96 +/- 1.3 nmol/l),
whereas norepinephrine was higher after LI/HI than after HI/LI (23.0 +/-
3.2 vs. 15.7 +/- 2.3 nmol/l). Platelet CA and CA-S were increased only
after HI. In conclusion, the plasma NE-S response to exercise parallels the
overall sympathetic activation. These results support the hypothesis that
plasma NE-S measured immediately after exercise reflects the overall
sympathoadrenergic activity over prolonged periods of exercise. Platelet CA
and CA-S poorly reflect sympathoadrenergic activation.
