Effect of Hypoxia Exercise on Erythrocyte Aggregability

Chang Gung Medical Foundation

Status: Completed

Conditions: Training; Hypoxia

Treatments: Behavioral: Normoxic exercise; Behavioral: Hypoxic exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04805359

200903510B0

Details and patient eligibility

About

Pathological erythrocyte aggregation reduces capillary perfusion and oxygen transfer to tissue. The aggregation is determined by opposing forces, the repulsive force between cells, cell-to-cell adhesion induced by plasma fibrinogen, and the disaggregating shear force generated by blood flow. The investigators investigate how hypoxic exercise affects intrinsic/extrinsic factors of aggregation. Sixty sedentary males were randomly assigned into either hypoxic (HE; FiO2=15%, n=20) or normoxic (NE; FiO2=21%, n=20) training groups for 30 min·d-1, 5 d·wk-1 for 6 weeks at 60% of maximum work rate or to a control group (CTL; n=20). A hypoxia exercise test (HET, FiO2=12%) was performed before and after the intervention. The erythrocyte aggregation, binding affinity of fibrinogen and membrane biomarkers were determined by an ektacytometry and flow cytometry, respectively.

Full description

The aim of this study is to clarify the effects of exercise training with and without hypoxia on the erythrocyte aggregation, further providing a feasible strategy for developing an appropriate exercise regimen that improves cardiopulmonary fitness and minimizes the risk of hemorheological disorders. This study evaluated the distinct effects of hypoxic exercise training (HE) and normaxia exercise training (NE) for 6 weeks on the following issue: (1) intrinsic/extrinsic erythrocyte aggregation, (2) binding affinity of fibrinogen to erythrocyte, (3) erythrocyte turnover rate and (4) characteristic of mature erythrocytes in blood, under hypoxic exercise test (HET) (100W under air 12% O2 condition) in healthy sedentary men.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 20 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Having a sedentary lifestyle (without regular exercise, exercise frequency ≤ once weekly, duration < 20 min).

Exclusion criteria

• Exposed to high altitudes (> 3000 m) for at least 1 year.
• Smoker
• Taking medications or vitamins
• Having any cardiopulmonary/hematological risk.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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60 participants in 3 patient groups

Normoxic exercise (NE)

Experimental group

Description:

The subjects were trained on a bicycle ergometer at 60% of maximal work-rate (60%Wmax) under 21%O2 in air (NE) for 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week for 6 weeks

Treatment:

Behavioral: Normoxic exercise

Hypoxic exercise (HE)

Experimental group

Description:

The subjects were trained on a bicycle ergometer at 60% of maximal work-rate (60%Wmax) under 15%O2 in air (HE) for 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week for 6 weeks

Treatment:

Behavioral: Hypoxic exercise

Normoxic control

No Intervention group

Description:

Without any exercise training