The Influence of Capsaicin Gel During Exercise Within the Heat
Condition: Acute Exercise; Heat Exposure
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 4

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to examine the human thermoregulatory impact of applying a
      commercially available capsaicin gel to the skin prior to moderate intensity walking under
      heated conditions. Experimental Visits will consist of 30 min of treadmill walking at a
      moderate pace (3.5 mph, 5% grade) under hot conditions (38°C, 60%RH) and will be randomized
      and counterbalanced for capsaicin gel or a hypoallergenic gel (control) application.

      Gels will be applied to areas commonly exposed during outdoor activity in warm conditions
      (shoulder to wrist, mid thigh to ankle). Accordingly, participants will wear shorts and a
      tank top shirt during exercise. Core temperature, skin temperature, galvanic skin response,
      laser doppler blood flow, and heart rate will be continuously recorded throughout the
      exercise bout via an integrated analog to digital converter. Sweat will be collected during
      exercise using commercially available absorbent patches. Thermal sensation will be assessed
      throughout exercise via the ASHRAE thermal sensation likert scale (cold to hot).

      Lastly, nude body weight will be recorded pre and post exercise for sweat rate determination.
      The capsaicin and control trials will be separated by a 7-14 day washout period
    

Detailed description: 
      3 experimental visits to the laboratory will be conducted. All visits will take place at the
      University of Nebraska at Omaha, Exercise Physiology Laboratory. Visit 1 will consist of the
      physical activity readiness questionnaire (PARQ), adverse reaction to capsaicin, and body
      composition (hydrostatic weigh, bioelectrical impedance). Visits 2 and 3 will be separated by
      7-14 days, randomized, and counterbalanced for experimental (capsaicin) and control
      (hypoallergenic cream) trials. Both the experimental and control visits will follow the same
      protocol.

      Participants will arrive following an overnight fast state while also refraining from
      strenuous activity, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, and recreational drugs for the previous
      24 hour period. During these visit researchers will apply capsaicin using a gloved hand from
      shoulder to wrist and mid thigh to ankle (areas outside of the clothing). A hypoallergenic
      cream will be applied during the control visit.

      Exercise will consist of 30 min of moderate intensity treadmill walking (3.5 mph at 5% grade)
      within a heated temperature/humidity controlled chamber (38°C, 60% relative humidity).
      Participants will be weighed before, and after completion of the exercise calculate sweat
      rate. Prior to the exercise session, participants will sit for 5 min in an ambient room
      temperature environment as a baseline. During baseline and during the exercise core
      temperature, skin temperature, laser doppler blood flow, galvanic skin response, and heart
      rate will be collected continuously. Sweat patches will be adhered to the forehead during
      exercise at minute 10 for collection of sweat composition over the next 10-20 minutes.
      Thermal perception using the ASHRAE scale (cold to hot) will be assessed pre and during
      exercise.

      EXPERIMENTAL VISIT 1 Visit 1 will take approximately 1 hour. Participants will then complete
      the physical activity readiness questionnaire (PARQ) to be cleared for physical activity.
      Participants will have a small amount of the capsaicin cream applied to a small area of the
      forearm (~2 x 2 in) to test for any adverse reaction over a period of 15 minutes. Those
      without a reaction will have height, weight, and body fat composition measured. Height and
      weight will be measured using a medical scale and stadiometer, respectively. Body fat will be
      assessed with hydrostatic weighing using an electronic load cell based system (Exertech,
      Dresbach, MN) correcting for residual lung volume or via a bio-electrical impedance analyzer
      (InBodyUSA, Cerritos, CA).

      EXPERIMENTAL VISITS 2 AND 3 Visits 2 and 3 will take approximately 2 hours each. Upon arrival
      at the lab, a nude body weight will be collected with the subject in a private room. While
      still in the room, subjects will self-insert a rectal thermistor 12-15 cm beyond the anal
      sphincter and don a chest strap heart rate monitor. After dressing in their exercise
      clothing, subjects will exit the private room so that chest, forearm, and calf thermistors
      can be adhered to the skin with tape. Laser doppler flow (forearm and or/finger) will be
      adhered with tape and galvanic skin response (fingers) will be adhered using Velcro straps to
      the skin. Measuring instruments will be recorded using an integrated digital to analog
      converter (ADInstruments, Colorado Springs, CO).

      Following instrumentation, subjects will sit for 5 minutes as a baseline in a temperate
      environment. Immediately after, a researcher with gloved hands will topically apply capsaicin
      or the control hypoallergenic cream from the shoulder to wrist and mid-thigh to ankle.
      Subjects will then enter the heat chamber (38°C, 60% relative humidity) and immediately begin
      a 30-minute walk on a treadmill (3.5 mph, 5% grade). Subjects will be intermittently asked to
      hold their arm steady for laser doppler flow collection (10, 20, 30 minutes). Subjects will
      also briefly pause at minute 10 in order to adhere an absorbent patch to their forehead for
      sweat collection over the following 10-20 minutes. Thermal perception using the ASHRAE scale
      (cold to hot) will be assessed pre and during exercise. After 30 minutes of walking, subjects
      will exit the chamber for removal of all skin and finger sensors. Subjects will then re-enter
      the private room, remove their own rectal thermistor with gloved hands, and then a final nude
      body weight will be recorded after toweling off.

      The rectal thermistor will measure core temperature. The heart rate monitor will measure the
      beats of the heart. Skin thermistors will measure the temperature of the skin surfaces. Laser
      doppler flow measure the relative units of blood flow velocity. Galvanic skin response
      measures skin conductivity changes as individuals begin to sweat. Sweat is collected for
      assessment of sweat composition. Thermal perception is assessed for individual perception
      surrounding the temperature of the ambient environment. Nude body weight is measured to
      calculate sweat rate.
    

Intervention name(s): Capsaicin; Control Gel; Exercise; Hot environment
Intervention type(s): Biological; Biological; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): application of capsaicin gel from shoulder to wrist and mid thigh to ankle; application of hypoallergenic gel from shoulder to wrist and mid thigh to ankle; treadmill walking 3.5 mph at 5% grade; 38°C, 60% relative humidity
Intervention MeSH terms: Capsaicin
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Intervention model description: Each Subject acts as their own control in a repeated measures design
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: heat exposure; exercise; capsaicin