Effect of exercise on the activities of selected antioxidant enzymes in the erythrocytes of weightlifters

The study was conducted on 6 weightlifters, subjected to weightlifting exercise, and 7 control subjects. Pre-exercise venous blood samples were taken from all subjects, and the post-exercise ones (1 and 24 h) from weightlifters. Activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were determined in erythrocytes and those of creatine kinase (CK) in plasma. The activities of all enzymes increased 24 h post-exercise, and of CK also 1 h post-exercise. Significant correlations were found in weightlifters (all sampling periods combined) between CAT and SOD activities (r = 0.749; P<0.05) as well as between SOD and CK activities (r = 0.615; P<0.05).