ArticlePhysiological reports2016
Plasma cell-free mitochondrial DNA declines in response to prolonged moderate aerobic exercise.
Article in Physiological reports, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Stress and circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA: A systematic review of human studies, physiological considerations, and technical recommendations.Mitochondrion · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of caloric restriction and aerobic exercise on circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA in patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease.American journal of physiology. Renal physiology · 2022Trial
- Saliva cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) response during physical and cognitive stress.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) in human body fluids: molecular characteristics, release mechanisms, and clinical translation-an updated review.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2026Review
- Review
- Mitochondrial DNA in Exercise-Mediated Innate Immune Responses.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Changes in plasma concentration of cell-free DNA in response to physical activity.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2025Article
- An Exercise Immune Fitness Test to Unravel Disease Mechanisms-A Proof-of-Concept Heart Failure Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Effect of a 12-Week Walking Program Monitored by Global Physical Capacity Score (GPCS) on Circulating Cell-Free mtDNA and DNase Activity in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- MitoQuicLy: A high-throughput method for quantifying cell-free DNA from human plasma, serum, and saliva.Mitochondrion · 2023Article
- MitoQuicLy: a high-throughput method for quantifying cell-free DNA from human plasma, serum, and saliva.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders by Mitochondrial-targeted Drug: Future of Neurological Diseases Therapeutics.Current neuropharmacology · 2023Review
- New Perspectives on the Importance of Cell-Free DNA Biology.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Dynamic behavior of cell-free mitochondrial DNA in human saliva.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2022Article
- Review
- Circulating cell free DNA response to exhaustive exercise in average trained men with type I diabetes mellitus.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Investigating the influence of mtDNA and nuclear encoded mitochondrial variants on high intensity interval training outcomes.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Increased level of circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA due to a single bout of strenuous physical exercise.European journal of applied physiology · 2020Article
- Repetitive Bouts of Exhaustive Exercise Induces a Systemic Inflammatory Response and Multi-Organ Damage in Rats.Frontiers in physiology · 2020Article
- Circulating Mitochondrial DNA at the Crossroads of Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Inflammation During Aging and Muscle Wasting Disorders.Rejuvenation research · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Increased plasma cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mDNA), a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) produced by cellular injury, contributes to neutrophil activation/inflammation in trauma patients and arises in cancer and autoimmunity. To further understand relationships between cf-mDNA released by tissue injury, inflammation, and health benefits of exercise, we examined cf-mDNA response to prolonged moderate aerobic exercise. Seven healthy moderately trained young men (age = 22.4 ± 1.2) completed a treadmill exercise trial for 90 min at 60% VO2 max and a resting control trial. Blood was sampled immediately prior to exercise (0 min = baseline), during (+18, +54 min), immediately after (+90 min), and after recovery (R40). Plasma was analyzed for cf-mDNA, IL-6, and lactate. A significant difference in cf-mDNA response was observed between exercise and control trials, with cf-mDNA levels reduced during exercise at +54 and +90 (with or without plasma volume shift correction). Declines in cf-mDNA were accompanied by increased lactate and followed by an increase in IL-6, suggesting a temporal association with muscle stress and inflammatory processes. Our novel finding of cf-mDNA decline with prolonged moderate treadmill exercise provides evidence for increased clearance from or reduced release of cf-mDNA into the blood with prolonged exercise. These studies contrast with previous investigations involving exhaustive short-term treadmill exercise, in which no change in cf-mDNA levels were reported, and contribute to our understanding of differences between exercise- and trauma-induced inflammation. We propose that transient declines in cf-mDNA may induce health benefits, by reducing systemic inflammation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.