The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students

Roy Irawan; Tri Martiana; Trias Mahmudiono; Siti Rahayu Nadhiroh; Putri Alayyannur; Nanda Rimawati

doi:10.54141/psbd.1774464

The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students

Abstract

Intense or unaccustomed exercise can induce muscle damage and systemic inflammation, as reflected by increases in interleukin-6 (IL-6) and creatine kinase (CK). Selenium, an essential trace element with antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties, may attenuate these responses, yet evidence in recreationally active populations is limited. This study investigated whether 14 days of selenium supplementation (200 µg/day L-selenomethionine) could mitigate post-exercise IL-6 and CK elevations in recreationally active male university students. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted with 64 healthy males aged 18–21 years, who were randomly assigned to the selenium (SEL, n = 32) or placebo (PLA, n = 32) groups. After supplementation, participants performed a standardized eccentric plyometric protocol, and blood samples were collected pre-exercise and at 24 and 48 hours post-exercise for IL-6 and CK assessment. Both markers increased significantly after exercise in all participants (p < 0.001), but the rises were attenuated in the selenium group, which also showed faster recovery compared with placebo. Significant group × time interactions were observed for both IL-6 and CK (p < 0.001), indicating a differential response over time. These findings suggest that short-term selenium supplementation provides dual protective effects by reducing inflammation and preserving muscle integrity, highlighting its potential as a nutritional strategy to enhance recovery in recreationally active individuals. Further research with larger and more diverse populations is warranted.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Universitas Negeri SUrabaya, Universitas Airlangga

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Public Health, Airlangga University (Ref: 104/EA/KEPK/2023

Thanks

The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to all participants from the Sports Science Study Program at Universitas Negeri Surabaya for their enthusiastic participation. We also thank the staff and health workers of Universitas Airlangga for their assistance in blood sample collection, which was crucial for this study. This research was supported by funding from LPPM Universitas Negeri Surabaya and LPPM Universitas Airlangga in 2024.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Sports Medicine, Physical Training and Sports, Sports Nutrition

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Roy Irawan
0000-0002-0996-8718
Indonesia

Tri Martiana ^*
0000-0002-3231-1503
Indonesia

Trias Mahmudiono
0000-0002-3128-2173
Indonesia

Siti Rahayu Nadhiroh
0000-0002-2870-6094
Indonesia

Putri Alayyannur
0000-0001-8701-6547
Indonesia

Nanda Rimawati
0000-0001-8400-492X
Indonesia

Early Pub Date

July 16, 2026

Publication Date

-

Submission Date

August 30, 2025

Acceptance Date

February 9, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

DOI

https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1774464

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA56KW65WU

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Irawan, R., Martiana, T., Mahmudiono, T., Nadhiroh, S. R., Alayyannur, P., & Rimawati, N. (2026). The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1774464

AMA

1.Irawan R, Martiana T, Mahmudiono T, Nadhiroh SR, Alayyannur P, Rimawati N. The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students. Pamukkale J Sport Sci. 2026;(Advanced Online Publication). doi:10.54141/psbd.1774464

Chicago

Irawan, Roy, Tri Martiana, Trias Mahmudiono, Siti Rahayu Nadhiroh, Putri Alayyannur, and Nanda Rimawati. 2026. “The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students”. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, no. Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1774464.

EndNote

Irawan R, Martiana T, Mahmudiono T, Nadhiroh SR, Alayyannur P, Rimawati N (July 1, 2026) The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences Advanced Online Publication

IEEE

[1]R. Irawan, T. Martiana, T. Mahmudiono, S. R. Nadhiroh, P. Alayyannur, and N. Rimawati, “The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students”, Pamukkale J Sport Sci, no. Advanced Online Publication, July 2026, doi: 10.54141/psbd.1774464.

ISNAD

Irawan, Roy - Martiana, Tri - Mahmudiono, Trias - Nadhiroh, Siti Rahayu - Alayyannur, Putri - Rimawati, Nanda. “The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students”. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences. Advanced Online Publication (July 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1774464.

JAMA

1.Irawan R, Martiana T, Mahmudiono T, Nadhiroh SR, Alayyannur P, Rimawati N. The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students. Pamukkale J Sport Sci. 2026. doi:10.54141/psbd.1774464.

MLA

Irawan, Roy, et al. “The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students”. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, no. Advanced Online Publication, July 2026, doi:10.54141/psbd.1774464.

Vancouver

1.Roy Irawan, Tri Martiana, Trias Mahmudiono, Siti Rahayu Nadhiroh, Putri Alayyannur, Nanda Rimawati. The Role of Selenium in Mitigating Inflammatory Cytokine Responses After Intense Physical Activity in Recreationally Active Students. Pamukkale J Sport Sci. 2026 Jul. 1;(Advanced Online Publication). doi:10.54141/psbd.1774464