Introduction
fatigue, inflammation, EIMD, HIE, Skeletal muscle damage
INFLAMMATION
An acute bout of exercise can cause structural damage to the musculotendon complex that necessitates repair following the cessation of the session [Skeletal muscle damage will activate the immune system to help control the damage, clear cellular debris, and initiate repair of the damaged tissues [Cytokines can act in both a pro- and anti-inflammatory manner. For example, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is pro-inflammatory and acts to recruit more leukocytes to the damaged cells [When appropriate durations of rest follow the EIMD exercise bout, the damaged tissues will recover and improve physiological resilience against subsequent bouts of EIMD as part of chronic exercise adaptations [Recently, there has been growing interest in fucoidans, fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharides, derived from either brown seaweed or echinoderms (i.e. sea cucumbers), due to its demonstrated anti-inflammatory and pro-immune responses in animal models and clinical populations [Additionally, fucoidans have been implicated in anti-fatigue actions in mouse musculature during a swim-to-exhaustion task with those given fucoidan (Fucoidans may be able to improve inflammation and immune responses following exercise. If efficacious, acute supplementation with fucoidan may lessen physiological disruption following HIE, which may benefit individuals who regularly engage in activities involving repeated efforts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of UPF on markers of inflammation and immune response following an acute bout of HIE. The primary hypothesis was that UPF supplementation would reduce the inflammatory cytokine and immune cell response following interval-based HIE compared to placebo. Since fucoidan may attenuate levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines that have been linked to increased fatigue during exercise [