SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION. Whole-body cryostimulation (KO) is now a widely used method
in sports medicine, and ongoing research and conclusions regarding the efficiency of the
usage of cryogenic temperatures in athletes are not coherent. Analgesic, anti-inflammatory,
swelling reduction, muscle strength enhancement, treatment of overload symptoms or
antioxidant activity [Lubkowska 2012; Banfi et al. 2009; Szyguła et al. 2014] are only
some of the effects of cryotherapy encouraging the choice of this recovery method
following intense exercise.
OBJECTIVE. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a single and
repeated systemic cryostimulation treatments on selected immunological, morphological
and biochemical indicators of the blood as well as the concentration of heat shock proteins
in trained and untrained individuals.
METHODS. The study involved 20 young men, aged 20-25 years: 10 trained and
10 untrained males. They were volunteers who did not use any stimulants during or two
weeks prior to the beginning of the study. The trained group comprised of men aged
21.9±1.52 years (BMI: 20.52±1.92 kg·m-2), who practiced medium- and long-distance
running, competitors of the 1st-3rd sports classes at the AZS Krakow and KS Cracovia
sports clubs. In the second group – the untrained men were students of the University
School of Physical Education in Krakow, aged 22.4±1.65 years and with the following
BMI: 22.92±2.39 kg·m-2. For all the study participants, before starting the series of
treatments, anthropometric measurements were taken and medical qualification was carried
out including medical history, measurement of blood pressure, heart rate and ECG. The
participants were subjected to 12 systemic cryotherapy treatments, lasting 3 minutes, at
a treatment temperature of -130°C, 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). The
procedure of venous blood collection was performed 5 times by a Sports Medicine Doctor
or Laboratory Diagnostician in accordance with applicable standards: before the 1st and 30
minutes after the first session in the cryogenic chamber, before and 30 minutes after the
12th systemic cryostimulation session and 24 hours after the 12th treatment in the cryogenic
chamber. The following indicators were marked from whole blood samples: RBC, RET,
HGB, HCT, PLT, and subpopulations of peripheral blood lymphocytes (CD3+, CD4+,
CD8+, CD19+, CD56+), immunoglobulin levels (IgA, IgG, IgM) determined from the
blood serum, interleukins (IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β) as well as the HSP-70 heat shock protein,
and plasma total protein.
RESULTS. In this paper, we present the research results regarding the impact of
systemic cryotherapy in two aspects - the effect of a single (first and last in the series)
whole-body cryostimulation treatment and the impact of a series of 12 whole-body
cryostimulation treatments in a trained and untrained group.
In response to the first KO treatment session, an increase in the number of
neutrophils and eosinophils as well as an increase in the number and proportion of CD19+
cells, and elevated concentration of IL-6 (p ≤ 0.05) were observed in the group of trained
men. In the group of untrained males, increases in CD4+ cell counts, the number and
percentage of CD19+ cells and a reduction in the number and proportion of CD56+ cells
and increased levels of IL-6 (p ≤ 0.05) were found.
In the group of trained men, in relation to the state before the last treatment of
systemic cryotherapy, increased numbers of leukocytes and neutrophils (p ≤ 0.05) were
noticed 30 minutes after the last treatment. In the group of untrained individuals, the level
of hematocrit, leukocyte count, number of CD4+ cells as well as the number and
proportion of CD19+ cells significantly increased, while the percentage of CD56+ cells
decreased. In the same group, there were statistically significant increases in IL-1β and
IL-6 (p ≤ 0.05) concentrations 30 minutes after the last treatment. After the 12th KO
treatment, the increase in the share percentage of platelets, CD19+ cells, and IL-6
concentration as compared to the changes after the first treatment, is statistically,
significantly smaller, in contrast to the hematocrit level, for which the increase in the same
group after the last treatment is statistically greater (p ≤ 0.05).
In response to the whole series of KO 12 treatments, compared to the baseline
before the 1st session, statistically significant reduction in the number of reticulocytes, an
increase in the number and percentage of CD3+, CD4+, CD19+, and the number and
percentage of CD56+ cells (p ≤ 0.05) were observed in the group of trained men. In the
same group, a significantly reduced level of HSP-70 (p ≤ 0.05) concentration was also
noted. In the group comprised of untrained males, an increase in the number of CD3+ cells,
the number and percentage of CD4+, CD19+ and a reduction in the percentage of CD56+
cells (p ≤ 0.05) were noticed following the series of systemic cryotherapy treatments.
In the same group, similar as in the group of athletes, statistically significant reduction in
HSP-70 (p ≤ 0.05) concentration was noted.
CONCLUSIONS. Detailed analysis of the issue shows that single application of
whole-body cryostimulation causes a small, modulating effect on the immune system in
both groups. This effect can be regarded as undamaging to the immune system of both
trained and untrained men. Lack of changes in the concentration of the HSP-70 heat shock
protein in both groups suggests that single application of cryogenic temperatures is not
a stress factor that could influence the structure of proteins.
The use of a series of repeated whole-body cryostimulation treatments translates
into a stimulating effect on the immune system, such as changes in the amount and
percentage of individual peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations in both groups.
Reduction in the concentration of HSP-70 after a series of 12 treatments may indicate an
"extinguishing" impact of cold temperatures on the inflammation process occurring in an
athlete's body, and lack of damaging impact on the spatial structure of the protein due to
cryogenic temperatures. The entire series of 12 treatments did not significantly affect the
hematopoietic bone marrow functioning.
Untrained participants are characterized by a greater diversity of changes in the
level of individual indicators of the immune system, with a tendency for them to maintain
during the entire series of systemic cryostimulation treatment sessions. Differences in
adaptation to cryogenic temperatures between the trained and untrained group suggest that
regular exercise, and thus an active lifestyle, determines the body's response to cold.