Effect of 8 weeks regular endurance training on galectin-3 changes after a strenuous aerobic exercise

Introduction: Galectin-3 (gal-3) is a member of the lectin family that is associate with heart failure, including myofibroblast proliferation, fibrogenesis, tissue repair, inflammation, and ventricular remodeling. Although gal-3 increases after high intensity exercise, regular training may attenuate these conditions. The aim of present study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks regular endurance training on galectin-3 changes after a strenuous aerobic exercise. Material and Methods: Eleven healthy young men (aged: 20.8 ± 1.8 years; ± SD) volunteered to participate in this study. All the subjects were performed Repeated High-Intensity Endurance Test (RHIET) as a strenuous aerobic exercise. Thereafter, the subjects were performed endurance training 3 days a week for 8 weeks at an intensity corresponding to 60- 75% individual heart rate reserve (HRR) for 30-45 min. After the 8 weeks intervention, the RHIET was performed a gain. Blood samples were taken at baseline (1st step), immediately after the RHIET (2nd step), 48h after 8 weeks intervention (3rd step) and immediately after the second RHIET (4th step). Results: The results showed that gal-3 level was increased after the first strenuous aerobic exercise (P<0.05). After 8 weeks exercise training, gal-3 was decreased compared to 2nd step of blood sampling (P<0.05) and no significant change was observed in gal-3 in this step compare to the baseline. The results indicated that gal-3 level was lower after the second strenuous aerobic exercise than compare to the after the first strenuous aerobic exercise (P<0.05). Conclusions: The results suggest regular endurance training with specific intensity and duration utilized in this study, attenuate gal-3 changes after single session of strenuous aerobic exercise.