© Kamla-Raj 2016 Ethno Med, 10(3): 288-294 (2016) Effects of Regular Moderate Exercise on Arterial Stiffness and PTX3 Protein and Some Cardiac Parameters Mehmet Karakus 1 , Nazan Dolu 2 , Tolga Saka 3 , Nihat Kalay 4 , Soner Akkurt 5 , Aysun Cetin 6 , Ali Dogan 7 and Sami Aydogan 8 1 Erciyes University Medical Faculty, Department of Sports Medicine 38039, Kayseri, Turkey Telephone: +90 5319931767, E-mail: memkar77@hotmail.com, 2 Erciyes University Medical Faculty Departments of Physiology 38039, Kayseri/ TURKEY High Altitude and Sports Science Research and Implementation Center (HASIC) 38039, Kayseri, Turkey E-mail: dolu@erciyes.edu.tr 3 Bezmialem Vakif University Medical Faculty Department of Sports Medicine, 34093, Istanbul, Turkey E-mail: tolgasakamd@gmail.com/tsaka@bezmialem.edu.tr 4 Erciyes University Medical Faculty Department of Cardiology 38039, Kayseri, Turkey E-mail: nihatkalay@hotmail.com 5 Erciyes University Medical Faculty Department of Sports Medicine 38039, Kayseri, Turkey E-mail: drsonerakkurt@hotmail.com 6 Erciyes University Medical Faculty Department of Biochemistry 38039, Kayseri, Turkey E-mail: aysuncetin@erciyes.edu.tr 7 Erciyes University Medical Faculty Department of Cardiology 38039, Kayseri, Turkey E-mail: drdogan75@yahoo.com 8 Erciyes University Medical Faculty Departments of Physiology 38039, Kayseri, Turkey High Altitude and Sports Science Research and Implementation Center (HASIC) 38039, Kayseri, Turkey E-mail: aydogans@erciyes.edu.tr KEYWORDS Exercise. Pentraxin 3. Pulse Wave Velocity. Stiffness ABSTRACT This study intends to show some of the effects of long-term and regular moderate exercise on arterial stiffness, Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) levels and some cardiac parameters in individuals of middle and advanced age. Twenty mountaineers and twenty sedentary individuals were subjects of this study. Each mountaineer and the individuals in the control group were measured for lipid profile, complete blood count, and underwent echocardiography, and exercise stress test. Central and peripheral pulse wave velocity was measured. The plasma Pentraxin 3 protein was assayed. Metabolic equivalent and PTX3 levels were found to be significantly higher in mountaineers, compared to the sedentary group. Femoral-ankle pulse wave velocity, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, left ventricular end-systolic diameter and the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio were found to be significantly lower in mountaineers, compared to the sedentary group (p<0.05). Long-term and regular, moderate exercise significantly decreases indicators of systemic inflammation and arterial stiffness. Address for correspondence: Tolga Saka, Associate Professor, MD Bezmialem Vakif University Medical Faculty, Department of Sports Medicine 34093, Istanbul, Turkey Telephone: +90 5333358683 E-mail: tolgasakamd@gmail.com INTRODUCTION Approximately eighty percent of cardiovas- cular diseases, the primary cause of mortality, are associated with arterial dysfunction and ar- terial disorders (Thom et al. 2006). Arterial stiff- ness is a sign of ageing characterized with re- duced arterial elasticity resulting from diabetes, atherosclerosis and chronic renal diseases in- volving especially major arteries (Zieman et al. 2005). Arterial stiffness can be assessed both invasively and non-invasively through pulse wave velocity (PWV), wall thickness measure- ment, and arterial pressure wave analysis (Oliv- er and Webb 2003). The golden standard of non- invasive methods include measurements con- ducted on the carotid and femoral region due to