Effects of Extreme Physical and Mental Load on Circulating Exerkines in Professional Athletes

Abstract

I measured circulating peptide responses upon an extreme physical and an extreme mental load in Hungarian professional soccer players. Apelin-13, apelin-36, and endothelin-1 all responded to the extreme physical, while only apelin-13 responded to the mental load. NT-proBNP did not change in either load indicating an intact left ventricular function in our sample population. Additionally, apelin-13 correlated with measures of physical performance, whole-body oxygen consumption, and the pumping capability of the heart.