Urinary Metabolites Variation After High-Intensity Rowing Training and Potential Biomarker Screening for Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is the most common health risk in physical exercise. However, instant and non-invasive methods for EIMD prediction have not been reported. Urine is a promising tool for EIMD prediction. However, urinary metabolite variations after EIMD occurrence have not been revealed, and potential biomarkers have not been identified. In this study, eighteen young students without regular exercise habits were recruited to perform high-intensity rowing exercise. EIMD occurrence was determined using blood biochemical analyses and pain assessment. The changes in urinary metabolites were revealed by quasi-targeted metabolomics. Results demonstrated that high-intensity rowing exercise induced EIMD and obviously changed urinary metabolites, including 23 upregulated metabolites and 26 downregulated metabolites. These differential metabolites were related to energy metabolism, exercise performance, and antioxidant metabolism. Among these metabolites, potential urinary biomarkers were identified with high sensitivity and specificity.