Plasma Nitric Oxide and Acute Phase Proteins after Moderate and Prolonged Exercises

Objective(s)The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma levels of nitric oxide (NO) and certain acute phase proteins(caeruloplasmin, transferrin, haptoglobin, C-reactive protein) in Nigerian subjects after short and prolonged exercises.Materials and MethodsA total of 57 subjects (34 males and 23 females) between ages of 19 and 45 years participated in this study and weredivided into three groups: Group 1 (Prolonged exercise) consisted of footballers (10 males and 9 females) who playedfootball for at least two hrs daily; Group II (Moderate exercise) consisted of individuals (14 males and 5 females) whoplayed football for 30 min 3 times a week; Group III (10 males and 9 females) were sedentary workers, who rarely hadany form of physical exercise. The plasma samples were assayed for NO, C-reactive protein (CRP), caeruloplasmin,haptoglobin, and transferrin using spectrophotometer and immunoplates. Statistical analysis was done using thestudent’s-t-test.ResultsThe result showed that there was a significant reduction in the level of NO in prolonged exercise (P