Searching for the Structural–Functional Trace of Cross-Adaptation Effects: Problems of Translational Physiology

The targeted use of environmental stimuli in medicine in order to increase the body’s resistance to the same or other stressful factors causes discussions about safety and effectiveness of this approach. This is especially true of the phenomenon of cross-adaptation. Although the theoretical basis of cross-adaptation effects has been known for a long time, the evidence base for the use of these techniques in clinical practice is insufficient. The results of laboratory studies convincingly explain the cellular mechanisms of protection with the use of different exposure modes and demonstrate the formation of “structural traces” of adaptation. However, the translation of the obtained data into the plane of practical medical application is difficult for several reasons, which we discuss in this article. Despite the difficulties in recording objective markers of adaptation in the human body, it is impossible to deny the already proven positive changes caused by conditioning, training, and acclimation (hypoxic conditioning, adaptation to hyperthermia, physical activity, natural acclimatization, electrical stimulation, etc.). Adaptive changes in any function always have a structural basis; hence, we can suggest that the description of the presence or absence of cross-adaptation effects occurring at this stage is necessary for their subsequent correct interpretation and systematization.