Plasma protein carbonylation and physical exercise

Regular physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, as it probably modifies the balance between free-radical generation and antioxidant activity. On the other hand, however, acute physical activity increases oxygen uptake and leads to a temporary imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and their disposal: this phenomenon is called oxidative stress. Proteins are one of the most important oxidation targets during physical exercise and carbonylation is one of the most common oxidative protein modifications. In cells there is a physiological level of oxidized proteins that doesn’t interfere with cell function; however, an increase in oxidized protein levels may cause a series of cellular malfunctions that could lead to a disease state. For this reason the quantification of protein oxidation is important to distinguish a health state from a disease state. Several studies have demonstrated an increase of carbonylated plasma proteins in athletes after exercise, but none have identified targets of this oxidation. Recently a process of protein decarbonylation has been discovered, this may indicate that carbonylation could be involved in signal transduction. The aim of our research was to characterize plasma protein carbonylation in response to physical exercise in trained male endurance athletes. We analyzed by proteomic approach their plasma proteins at resting condition and after two different kinds of physical exercise (PE). We used 2D-GE followed by western blot with specific antibodies against carbonylated proteins. The 2D analysis identified Haptoglobin as potential protein target of carbonylation after PE. We also identified Serotransferrin and Fibrinogen whose carbonylation is reduced after exercise. These methods have allowed us to obtain an overview of plasma protein oxidation after physical exercise.