Marathon Running Increases Synthesis and Decreases Catabolism of Joint Cartilage Type II Collagen Accompanied by High-Energy Demands and an Inflamatory Reaction.

To determine the effect of marathon running on serum levels of inflammatory, high energy, and cartilage matrix biomarkers and to ascertain whether these biomarkers levels correlate. Blood samples from 17 Caucasian male recreational athletes at the Barcelona Marathon 2017 were collected at the baseline, immediately and 48 h post-race. Serum C reactive protein (CRP), creatin kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined using an AU-5800 chemistry analyser. Serum levels of hyaluronan (HA), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), aggrecan chondroitin sulphate 846 (CS846), glycoprotein YKL-40, human procollagen II N-terminal propeptide (PIINP), human type IIA collagen N-propeptide (PIIANP), and collagen type II cleavage (C2C) were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA). Medians CK and sLDH levels increased (three-fold, two-fold) post-race [429 (332) U/L, 323 (69) U/L] ( < 0.0001; < 0.0001) and (six-fold, 1.2-fold) 48 h post-race [658 (1,073) U/L, 218 (45) U/L] ( < 0.0001; < 0.0001). Medians CRP increased (ten-fold) after 48 h post-race [6.8 (4.1) mg/L] ( < 0.0001). Mean sHA levels increased (four-fold) post-race (89.54 ± 53.14 ng/ml) ( < 0.0001). Means PIINP (9.05 ± 2.15 ng/ml) levels increased post-race (10.82 ± 3.44 ng/ml) ( = 0.053) and 48 h post-race (11.00 ± 2.96 ng/ml) ( = 0.001). Mean sC2C levels (220.83 ± 39.50 ng/ml) decreased post-race (188.67 ± 38.52 ng/ml) ( = 0.002). In contrast, means COMP, sCS846, sPIIANP, and median sYKL-40 were relatively stable. We found a positive association between sCK levels with sLDH pre-race ( = 0.758, < 0.0001), post-race ( = 0.623, = 0.008) and 48-h post-race ( = 0.842, < 0.0001); sHA with sCRP post-race vs. 48 h post-race ( = 0.563, = 0.019) and sPIINP with sCK pre-race vs. 48-h post-race ( = 0.499, = 0.044) and with sLDH 48-h pre-race vs. post-race ( = 0.610, = 0.009) and a negative correlation of sPIIANP with sCRP 48-h post-race ( = -0.570, = 0.017). Marathon running is an exercise with high-energy demands (sCK and sLDH increase) that provokes a high and durable general inflammatory reaction (sCRP increase) and an immediately post-marathon mechanism to protect inflammation and cartilage (sHA increase). Accompanied by an increase in type II collagen cartilage fibrils synthesis (sPIINP increase) and a decrease in its catabolism (sC2C decrease), without changes in non-collagenous cartilage metabolism (sCOMP, sC846, and sYKL-40). Metabolic changes on sPIINP and sHA synthesis may be related to energy consumption (sCK, sLDH) and the inflammatory reaction (sCRP) produced.