Ozmen Caglar, Inandiklioglu Nihal, Gunasti Ozgur, Rahimova Hatice, Tepe Omer, Akilli Rabia Eker, Yildiz Pinar Ozmen, Kurdak Sanli Sadi, Demirtas Mustafa
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana 01330, Türkiye.
Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Yozgat Bozok University, Yozgat 66900, Türkiye.
Genes (Basel). 2025 Sep 18;16(9):1104. doi: 10.3390/genes16091104.
Telomeres and the enzyme telomerase play essential roles in cellular aging and cardiovascular health. Physical activity is thought to influence telomere dynamics via upregulation of the gene, which encodes the catalytic subunit of telomerase. However, data on this relationship in middle-aged endurance athletes remain limited. This study aimed to investigate the association between long-term endurance training, cardiac structural adaptations, and gene expression in middle-aged elite athletes. A total of 38 middle-aged elite runners and 37 age-matched sedentary controls were enrolled. Echocardiographic assessments, VOpeak measurements, and gene expression analysis using RT-PCR were conducted. Left ventricular mass (LVM), wall thicknesses, and cardiac volumes were compared, and correlations with expression were analyzed. Athletes demonstrated significantly higher VOpeak and echocardiographic parameters including LVEDD, LV mass, and wall thicknesses ( < 0.05). gene expression was 2.06-fold higher in athletes compared to controls. Significant positive correlations were observed between expression and VOpeak, LVM, LV wall thicknesses, and right ventricular parameters. These findings suggest that regular aerobic exercise may contribute to both improved cardiovascular performance and cellular longevity by enhancing telomerase-related mechanisms.
端粒和端粒酶在细胞衰老和心血管健康中起着至关重要的作用。体育活动被认为通过上调编码端粒酶催化亚基的基因来影响端粒动态。然而，关于中年耐力运动员中这种关系的数据仍然有限。本研究旨在调查长期耐力训练、心脏结构适应性和中年精英运动员中基因表达之间的关联。共招募了38名中年精英跑步者和37名年龄匹配的久坐对照者。进行了超声心动图评估、最大摄氧量测量以及使用逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）进行基因表达分析。比较了左心室质量（LVM）、壁厚和心脏容积，并分析了与表达的相关性。运动员表现出显著更高的最大摄氧量和超声心动图参数，包括左心室舒张末期内径（LVEDD）、左心室质量和壁厚（P<0.05）。与对照组相比，运动员的基因表达高2.06倍。在表达与最大摄氧量、左心室质量、左心室壁厚和右心室参数之间观察到显著的正相关。这些发现表明，规律的有氧运动可能通过增强端粒酶相关机制，对改善心血管性能和细胞寿命都有贡献。
