Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Professor Kim Sang-hyun's research team (Dr. Yu Mun-tal, PhD candidate Jo Su-ji, PhD candidate Chae Yong-yo, and master's student Lee Ji-min) demonstrated that high fitness levels achieved through endurance exercise can effectively prevent skeletal muscle mitochondrial damage caused by short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5). Their study received the Outstanding Paper Award at the 2026 Korean Society of Exercise Physiology.

This study shows that high fitness levels formed through endurance exercise can effectively suppress skeletal muscle mitochondrial damage caused by particulate matter exposure.

The researchers used a mouse model and divided animals into sedentary and endurance exercise groups over 12 weeks, then exposed them to short-term PM2.5. The results showed marked mitochondrial structural damage and functional decline in the sedentary group, whereas these damages were markedly reduced in the exercise group.

Notably, the endurance exercise group exhibited increased activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD-2, catalase, GPx-4) and elevated expression of proteins related to mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics (PGC-1α, Fis-1), indicating effective suppression of oxidative stress and damage induced by particulate matter.

Professor Kim Sang-hyun said, “High fitness levels achieved through endurance exercise can prevent particulate matter-induced skeletal muscle damage by strengthening antioxidant defense systems and mitochondrial function. This study will provide important evidence of the protective effects of exercise under environmental pollution conditions.”

Meanwhile, these findings are significant in the fields of environmental toxicology and exercise physiology and are expected to contribute to the development of strategies to protect muscle health in older adults and the general population who are vulnerable to particulate matter exposure.