Muscle biomarkers of physiological stress in competitive sports practice: a systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v63.110055Keywords:
Biomarkers, physiological stress, physiology, sports medicine, striated muscleAbstract
Introduction: Participation in sports competitions often requires a high level of effort from the athlete, which generates physiological stress in the body, resulting in changes in muscle biomarker parameters.
Objective: This study aimed to verify the effects of sports competition practices on biomarkers of physiological stress.
Methodology: The databases used to search for studies in this systematic review were: PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect; according to the following descriptors used in the search: biomarkers and "stress, physiological" and sports that involved studies between 1974 to 2023. The study selection process occurred according to the PRISMA protocol divided into four stages: identification of articles in the databases (n = 196); screening by reading the titles and abstracts of the articles (n = 191); eligibility by evaluating the studies by reading them in full (n = 5); and inclusion of scientific articles (n = 5) that met all the inclusion criteria. The PICOS method was used to evaluate the article selection criteria.
Results: The results showed the participation of biomarkers such as metabolites (lactate and creatine kinase), proteins (lactate dehydrogenase, myoglobin and others) and messenger RNAs in competitions of five different sports: adventure racing, rally, rugby, running and triathlon. There was an increase in the concentrations of these biomarkers after the end of the competitions and the concentration of myoglobin showed an increase in triathlon athletes that lasted for 19 days.
Conclusions: The main conclusion of the study points to physiological stress with fatigue and muscle damage in athletes participating in sports competitions that appear after the end of the event.
References
Bäcker, H. C., Richards, J. T., Kienzle, A., Cunningham, J., & Braun, K. F. (2023). Exertional rhabdomyol-ysis in athletes: systematic review and current perspectives. Clinical Journal of Sport Medi-cine, 33(2), 187-194. https://journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/abstract/2023/03000/exertional_rhabdomyolysis_in_athletes__systematic.15.aspx?context=featuredarticles&collectionid=1
Becatti, M., Mannucci, A., Barygina, V., Mascherini, G., Emmi, G., Silvestri, E., ... & Fiorillo, C. (2017). Redox status alterations during the competitive season in élite soccer players: focus on periph-eral leukocyte-derived ROS. Internal and Emergency Medicine, 12, 777-788. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28361355/
Belli, T., Crisp, A. H., & Verlengia, R. (2017). Greater muscle damage in athletes with ACTN3 R577X (RS1815739) gene polymorphism after an ultra-endurance race: a pilot study. Biology of sport, 34(2), 105. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5424449/
Bento, T., Cortinhas, A., Leitão, J. C., & Mota, M. P. (2012). Use of accelerometry to measure physical activity in adults and the elderly. Revista de Saúde Pública, 46, 561-570. https://www.scielosp.org/article/ssm/content/raw/?resource_ssm_path=/media/assets/rsp/v46n3/3591.pdf
Bernardi, B. S., da Silva, G. C., Sousa, D. L., dos Santos, L. H. O., do Nascimento, L. A., & dos Santos Magraner, J. M. P. (2023). Modalidades off-road, implicações fisiológicas na saúde do atleta: uma revisão integrativa da literatura. Revista Científica da Faculdade de Educação e Meio Ambiente, 14(2), 20-30. https://revista.unifaema.edu.br/index.php/Revista-FAEMA/article/view/1259
Berton, R., Conceição, M. S., Libardi, C. A., Canevarolo, R. R., Gáspari, A. F., Chacon-Mikahil, M. P. T., & Cavaglieri, C. R. (2017). Metabolic time-course response after resistance exercise: A metabo-lomics approach. Journal of sports sciences, 35(12), 1211-1218. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640414.2016.1218035
Beyersmann, D. (2000). Regulation of mammalian gene expression. Exs, 89, 11-28. https://europepmc.org/article/med/10997280
Bitencourt, V., & Navarro, P. (2006). Atlas do esporte no Brasil. Lamartine Da Costa (Org.). Rio de Janeiro: Shape. http://www.listasconfef.org.br/arquivos/atlas/atlas.pdf
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P., & Rothstein, H. R. (2021). Introduction to meta-analysis. John Wiley & Sons.
Brooks, G. A., Osmond, A. D., Arevalo, J. A., Duong, J. J., Curl, C. C., Moreno-Santillan, D. D., & Leija, R. G. (2023). Lactate as a myokine and exerkine: drivers and signals of physiology and metabo-lism. Journal of Applied Physiology, 134(3), 529-548. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.00497.2022
Castagna, O., Druelle, A., Michoud, G., Prevautel, T., & Lacour, J. R. (2023). Individual changes in respir-atory compliance upon immersion may predict susceptibility to immersion pulmonary ede-ma. Sports medicine-open, 9(1), 39. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37261587/
Castro-Sepúlveda, M., Ramirez-Campillo, R., Astudillo, S., Burgos, C., & Henríquez-Olguín, C. (2014). Prevalence of dehydration and fluid intake practices in elite rally dakar drivers. Science & sports, 29(6), 327-330. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0765159714000835
Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Routledge.
Costache, A. D., Leon-Constantin, M. M., Roca, M., Maștaleru, A., Anghel, R. C., Zota, I. M., ... & Mitu, F. (2022). Cardiac biomarkers in sports cardiology. Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease, 9(12), 453. https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3425/9/12/453
Da Silva, A. M. B., & Enumo, S. R. F. (2016). Estresse em atletas de modalidades coletivas: uma revisão sistemática. Arquivos em movimento, 12(1), 91-105. https://revistas.ufrj.br/index.php/am/issue/view/696
Del Rosso, S., Abreu, L., Webb, H. E., Zouhal, H., & Boullosa, D. A. (2016). Stress markers during a rally car competition. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 30(3), 605-614. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/FullText/2016/03000/Stress_Markers_During_a_Rally_Car_Competition.2.aspx
Downs, S. H., & Black, N. (1998). The feasibility of creating a checklist for the assessment of the meth-odological quality both of randomised and non-randomised studies of health care interven-tions. Journal of epidemiology & community health, 52(6), 377-384. https://jech.bmj.com/content/52/6/377.short
Foschini, D., Prestes, J., & Charro, M. A. (2007). Relação entre exercício físico, dano muscular e dor muscular de início tardio. Revista brasileira de cineantropometria e desempenho humano, 9(1), 101-106. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jonato-Prestes/publication/26455321_Relationship_between_physical_exercise_muscle_damage_and_delayed-onset_muscle_soreness/links/56aff93e08ae8e37214d14cd/Relationship-between-physical-exercise-muscle-damage-and-delayed-onset-muscle-soreness.pdf
Francaux, M., & Deldicque, L. (2019). Exercise and the control of muscle mass in human. Pflügers Ar-chiv-European Journal of Physiology, 471, 397-411. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00424-018-2217-x
Henze, A. S., Matits, L., Huth, J., & Mauch, F. (2024). Relationship Between Objective and Subjective Markers of Muscle Recovery in Professional Handball Players. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 19(4), 393-399. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38266635/
Kim, H. J., Jamart, C., Deldicque, L., An, G. L., Lee, Y. H., Kim, C. K., ... & Francaux, M. (2011). ER-stress markers and ubiquitin-proteasome pathway activity in response to 200-km run. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 43(1), 18-25.
Lindsay, A., Lewis, J. G., Scarrott, C., Gill, N., Gieseg, S. P., & Draper, N. (2015). Assessing the effective-ness of selected biomarkers in the acute and cumulative physiological stress response in pro-fessional rugby union through non-invasive assessment. International Journal of Sports Medi-cine, 36(06), 446-454. https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0034-1398528
Lippi, G., Sanchis-Gomar, F., Salvagno, G. L., Aloe, R., Schena, F., & Guidi, G. C. (2012). Variation of se-rum and urinary neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) after strenuous physical ex-ercise. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 50(9), 1585-1589. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/cclm-2011-0954/html
Loureiro, A. C. C., Nocrato, G. F., Correia, A. L. L., de Matos, R. S., Filho, J. C. C. N., Daher, E. D. F., ... & de Carvalho, D. P. (2022). Serum and Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Are Not Associated With Serum Redox Parameters in Amateur Athletes After an Ultramara-thon. Frontiers in Physiology, 13, 811514. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.811514/full
Matus-Ortega, G., Romero-Aguilar, L., Luqueno-Bocardo, O. I., Hernandez-Morfin, K., Guerra-Sanchez, G., Matus-Ortega, M., ... & Pardo-Vazquez, J. P. (2020). Las funciones metabólicas, endocrinas y reguladoras de la expresión genética del lactato. Revista de la Facultad de Medicina (Méxi-co), 63(5), 7-17. https://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?pid=S0026-17422020000500007&script=sci_arttext
Naughton, M., Miller, J., & Slater, G. J. (2018). Impact-induced muscle damage and contact sports: etiol-ogy, effects on neuromuscular function and recovery, and the modulating effects of adaptation and recovery strategies. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(8), 962-969. https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/13/8/article-p962.xml
Neubauer, O., König, D., & Wagner, K. H. (2008). Recovery after an Ironman triathlon: sustained in-flammatory responses and muscular stress. European journal of applied physiology, 104, 417-426. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-008-0787-6
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., ... & Moher, D. (2023). A declaração PRISMA 2020: diretriz atualizada para relatar revisões sistemáticas. Re-vista panamericana de salud publica, 46, e112. https://www.scielosp.org/article/rpsp/2022.v46/e112/pt/
Pesenti-Tofalini, F. B., Spartalis, E. R., Okino, A. M., Venturini, D., Frisseli, A., & Macedo, C. D. S. G. (2020). Effect of Immersion in Cold Water on Creatine Kinase and Myoglobin Levels in Soccer Players. Journal of Health Sciences, 22(2), 151-155. https://journalhealthscience.pgsscogna.com.br/JHealthSci/article/view/7745
Pomfret, G., Sand, M., & May, C. (2023). Conceptualising the power of outdoor adventure activities for subjective well-being: A systematic literature review. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tour-ism, 42, 100641.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213078023000385
Powers, S. K., Deminice, R., Ozdemir, M., Yoshihara, T., Bomkamp, M. P., & Hyatt, H. (2020). Exercise-induced oxidative stress: Friend or foe?. Journal of sport and health science, 9(5), 415-425. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254620300399
Reid, M. B. (2022). Redox implications of extreme task performance: the case in driver athletes. Cells, 11(5), 899. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35269521/
Reis, C. P., Custódia Ferreira, M. C., Renata de Almeida, F., Lúcia de Mello Santiago, M., Vinícius de Sá, M., Bevilaqua Fernandes Hosken, F., & Alvarez Pires, D. (2025). Estrés laboral y síndrome de burnout: percepción de entrenadores de la Liga de Baloncesto Femenino (LBF). Retos, 62, 745–755. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v62.106723
Senakham, N., Punthipayanon, S., Senakham, T., Sriyabhaya, P., Sriramatr, S., & Kuo, C. H. (2020). Phys-iological stress against simulated 200-m and 500-m sprints in world-class boat paddlers. Journal of Physiology Investigation, 63(1), 15-20.
Silva, R. P., Vilaça, A., Guerra, F. D., Mundim, A. V., De Agostini, G. G., De Abreu, L. C., ... & Penha-Silva, N. (2020). Sex differences in physiological stress induced by a long-lasting adventure race: a prospective observational analytical study. Sportverletzung· Sportschaden, 34(02), 84-95. https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/a-0928-0990
Soler-López, A., Moreno-Villanueva, A., Gómez-Carmona, C. D., & Pino-Ortega, J. (2024). The Role of Biomarkers in Monitoring Chronic Fatigue Among Male Professional Team Athletes: A System-atic Review. Sensors, 24(21), 6862. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39517758/
Theile, C. M., & Beall, A. L. (2024). Conducting a Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of Dental Hygiene, 98(2). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38649289/
Turner, A. P., & Richards, H. (2015). Physiological and selective attention demands during an interna-tional rally motor sport event. BioMed research international, 2015(1), 638659. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2015/638659
Verdaguer, A., Parrado, E., & Parrado, A. (2021). Níveis de recuperação de estresse em atletas femininas de esqui de alto nível. Desafios , 42 , 595–603. https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/retos/article/view/83889
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 ana-karenina-sa Fernandes, José Carlos Gomes de Carvalho Leitão, António José Abelha Cortinhas, Ariclécio Cunha de Oliveira, Adriano César Carneiro Loureiro
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.