Author(s): LIPOWSKA, M., WOJCIAK, G., KUSMIERCZYK, J., SZYMURA, J., SZYGULA, Z., WIECEK, M., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN KRAKOW, POLAND, Country: POLAND, Abstract-ID: 1620

INTRODUCTION:
Whole-body cryostimulation (WBC) offers preventive and therapeutic benefits, including enhanced metabolism, anti-inflammatory effects, and increased antioxidant defense, but the mechanism of these effects is unknown. This study aims to evaluate the impact of repeated WBC sessions on the expression of key genes involved in these responses, particularly in young, trained, and untrained males.
METHODS:
The study involved 28 young healthy Caucasian males, comprising 10 non-training individuals (NTR), 10 non-training men undergoing WBC (NTR-WBC), and 8 long-distance runners undergoing WBC (TR-WBC). Over an 8-week period, NTR-WBC and TR-WBC groups underwent 24 WBC treatments lasting 3 minutes at -130°C, three times weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Blood samples were collected before starting WBC and after the 1st, 12th, and 24th session. mRNA expressions of glutathione synthetase (GSS), superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), sirtuin 3 (SIRT3), and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) in mononuclear blood cells were determined.
RESULTS:
Following the first WBC session, the TR-WBC group exhibited increased mRNA levels of SIRT1 (p = 0.01), SIRT3 (p = 0.05), and SOD (p = 0.04), GSS mRNA expression rose in both groups, with statistical significance in the NTR-WBC group (p = 0.05).
After 12 WBC sessions, significant elevation in SIRT1 mRNA levels was observed in the TR-WBC group (p = 0.02), while the NTR-WBC group showed a statistically significant rise in SOD and ICAM-1 mRNA levels (p = 0.05 for both).
By the 24th WBC session, the TR-WBC group showed marked increases in SIRT1 (p < 0.01) and SOD2 (p = 0.02), along with a decrease in ICAM-1 mRNA levels (p = 0.03). In the NTR-WBC group, changes in mRNA expressions of these genes were also noted (SIRT1: p = 0.05, SOD: p = 0.04, ICAM-1: p = 0.05).

CONCLUSION:
WBC treatments enhances sirtuins expression, important for antioxidant defense systems and inflammatory responses in young men, dependent on physical activity level and number of treatments.