The effect of aerobic and high-intensity interval training on plasma pentraxin 3 and lipid parameters in overweight and obese women

Abstract

Background. It is unclear whether different exercise programs lead to an increase in the concentration of plasma Pentraxin3 (PTX3), an anti-inflammatory protein. This study aimed to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise (AE) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on plasma PTX3 levels in overweight and obese women. Method. A total of 45 sedentary women aged between 32.26 ± 6.30 voluntarily participated in the study. The control group (CG, n = 15) was selected among normalweight women. Women in the group of participants who partook in exercise consisted of overweight and obese women according to a random method, including the AE group (n = 15) and the HIIT group (n = 15). The AE session conducted was 50 min in duration and consisted of warm-up exercises (5 min), and primary exercises (40 min, basic aerobic-step exercises). HIIT consists of warm-up exercises (5 min), primary exercises (work intervals: 6−10 × 1 min (80–90% HRmax), rest intervals: 1 min (walk, 50% HRmax), 21–29 min running. The exercises were applied for three sessions/week for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken from all participants before and after exercise and their body composition was measured. Results. As a result of two different 12-week exercises, serum PTX3 levels increased significantly by 47.53% in the AE group and 50.21% in the HIIT group (p < 0.01). It was determined that the mean PTX3 before and after exercise increased from 1.71 ± 0.43 to 2.47 ± 0.40 ng/dL and HIIT from 1.62 ± 0.39 to 2.31 ± 0.33 ng/dL. A significant decrease in body mass index (BMI) values were detected, approximately 5.81% in the AE group and 5.06% in the HIIT group (p < .01). A significant decrease was detected in glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, LDL-C, and hsCRP whereas HDL-C and VO2max value increased significantly in both exercise groups (p < .05; p < .01). There were no significant differences in TG and TC levels between groups (p > .05). Also, no significant differences were found between the two types of exercises in terms of parameters. A significant negative correlation in the total sample was found between PTX3 with BMI, fat mass, LDL-C, and hsCRP.