Original article Plasma antioxidant activity and cutaneous microvascular endo function in athletes and sedentary controls Ferdinando Franzoni a, *, Yvonne Plantinga a , Francesca R. Femia a , Francesco Bartolomucci b , Carlo Gaudio c , Francesco Regoli d , Angelo Carpi e , Gino Santoro a , Fabio Galetta a a Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa School of Medicine, Via Roma, 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy b Cardiology Unit, Town Hospital of Andria, Bari, Italy c Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy d Institute of Biology and Genetics, University of Ancona, Italy e Department of Reproduction and Ageing, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy Received 22 July 2004 Available online 25 August 2004 Abstract Aging is associated with endothelial dysfunction in both conduit arteries and peripheral microcirculation. Furthermore with an increased susceptibility to free radical mediated tissue damage. The aim of this study was to assess the relationsh regular aerobic-endurance training, plasma antioxidant activity and microcirculatory skin blood flow in healthy individua athletes (range: 22–74 years; VO 2max 54.3 ± 5.2 ml/kg/min) and 36 age-sex-matched sedentary controls (range: 20–75 years; VO 2max 34.2 ± 3.4 ml/kg/min) were studied. Each group was divided into a younger (<30 years) and an older (>60 years) subgroup. Han and stimulated skin blood flow (SBF) was measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry. Plasma free radicals antioxidant capacity against both peroxyland hydroxyl radicals was also evaluated as Total Oxyradical Scavenging Capacity (TOSC) units.Baseline SBFs were not significantly different between athletes and sedentary groups, while plasma TOSC values against peroxyl radicals (18.4 ± units/ml, P < 0.001) and hydroxyl radicals (8.7 ± 2.5 vs 4.9 ± 2.3 units/ml, P <0.001) was higher in athletes. Hand SBF a ischemia and foot SBF after heating were higher in athletes (P <0.0001) than in the sedentary group. In the sedentary gr of age had higher plasma TOSC values than the highest tertile of age (ROO – 18.2 ± 2.2 vs 8.8 ± 1.4 units/ml; HO – 9.2 ± 1.3 vs 3.7 ± 0.5 units/ml, P < 0.001). Among athletes, the lowest and the highest tertile of age did not show significantly different pla ROO – 20.3 ± 1.5 and HO – : 9.7 ± 1.4 units/ml; older: ROO – : 17.1 ± 1.3 and HO – : 9.0 ± 0.8 units/ml, n.s.). Resting SBF was similar in all th subgroups; stimulated SBFs were lower in both subgroups of untrained respect to trained individuals (P <0.001). In the s SBF was inversely related to age (r = –0.63; P <0.0001) and directly related to TOSC against peroxyl (r = 0.59, P <0.001 (r = 0.47, P <0.01). In athletes SBF was related only to VO 2 max (r = 0.36; P <0.05) and TOSC vs ROO· (r = 0.41, P <0.01). In conclusio results suggest that regular physical activity is associated with a better microvascular endothelial function in older athlet increased antioxidant defenses. © 2004 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved. Keywords: Physical activity; Aging; Endothelial function; Microcirculation 1. Introduction Aging is one of the largest risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and is associated with a profound loss of vasomotor function of resistance [1–3] and major conduit vessels [4]. Furthermore, aging is associated with an increased suscepti- bility to free radical mediated tissue damage [5]. This pro is accompanied by a gradual loss of antioxidant capacity a an increase in oxidative stress [6,7]. Endothelial dysfunction represents a relatively common feature and a crucial eventin cardiovascular disease [8]. Endothelial dysfunction is considered as a functional and reversible alteration of endothelial cells,resulting from an impairment in NO availability, probably due to an increas oxidative stress [9]. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: f.franzoni@int.med.unipi.it (F. Franzoni). Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy 58 (2004) 432–436 www.elsevier.com/locate/biopha 0753-3322/$ - see front matter © 2004 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2004.08.009