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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Int J Sports Med 2022; 43(03): 195-205
DOI: 10.1055/a-1551-9294
Review

The Molecular Signature of High-intensity Training in the Human Body

Patrick Wahl
1   Institute of Cardiovascular Research and Sport Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
2   The German Research Center of Elite Sport Cologne, German Sport University Cologne, Koln, Germany
3   MSH Medical School Hamburg, Institute of Interdisciplinary Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
,
Wilhelm Bloch
2   The German Research Center of Elite Sport Cologne, German Sport University Cologne, Koln, Germany
4   Molecular and Cellular Sport Medicine, German Sport university, Cologne, Germany
,
Sebastian Proschinger
5   Department for Molecular and Cellular Sports Medicine, Institute for Cardiovascular Research and Sports Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Abstract

High-intensity training is becoming increasingly popular outside of elite sport for health prevention and rehabilitation. This expanded application of high-intensity training in different populations requires a deeper understanding of its molecular signature in the human body. Therefore, in this integrative review, cellular and systemic molecular responses to high-intensity training are described for skeletal muscle, cardiovascular system, and the immune system as major effectors and targets of health and performance. Different kinds of stimuli and resulting homeostatic perturbations (i. e., metabolic, mechanical, neuronal, and hormonal) are reflected, taking into account their role in the local and systemic deflection of molecular sensors and mediators, and their role in tissue and organ adaptations. In skeletal muscle, a high metabolic perturbation induced by high-intensity training is the major stimulus for skeletal muscle adaptation. In the cardio-vascular system, high-intensity training induces haemodynamic stress and deflection of the Ca 2+ handling as major stimuli for functional and structural adaptation of the heart and vessels. For the immune system haemodynamic stress, hormones, exosomes, and O2 availability are proposed stimuli that mediate their effects by alteration of different signalling processes leading to local and systemic (anti)inflammatory responses. Overall, high-intensity training shows specific molecular signatures that demonstrate its high potential to improve health and physical performance.

Key words

haemodynamic stress - calcium signalling - metabolic stimuli - skeletal muscle - immune system - cardiovascular system


Publication History

Received: 07 April 2021

Accepted: 13 July 2021

Accepted Manuscript online:
15 July 2021

Article published online:
12 October 2021

© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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