ORIGINAL ARTICLE  EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CLINICAL MEDICINE 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2018 October;58(10):1509-18

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.17.06943-2

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Aerobic physical training does not condition against strenuous exercise-induced changes in immune function but modulates T cell proliferative responses

Pablo J. PATIÑO ¹, Domingo I. CARABALLO ², Katarzyna SZEWCZYK ³, Juan C. QUINTANA ¹, Lady R. BEDOYA ¹, Beatriz E. RAMÍREZ ¹, Andrés JARAMILLO ³ ✉

¹ Group of Primary Immunodeficiencies, School of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia; ² Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia; ³ Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, USA

BACKGROUND: Exercise-induced stress induces considerable changes in the immune system. To better understand the mechanisms related to these immune changes during acute and chronic physical stress, we studied the effects of aerobic physical training (APT) on several parameters of the immune system.
METHODS: Previously untrained males (18-25 years of age) were divided into a group that was subjected to 6 months of APT (N.=10) and a sedentary control group (N.=7). The subjects performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CET) at 0, 3, and 6 months of the APT program. B cell (CD19+), T cell (CD4+ and CD8+), and natural killer cell (CD56+) levels, and mitogen-induced T cell proliferation and cytokine production (interleukin-1, interleukin-4, interleukin-12, and interferon-γ) were evaluated before and at 30 seconds and 24 hours after the CET.
RESULTS: There was a significant increase in CD4+ T cells and natural killer cells and a significant reduction in T cell proliferation in both groups 30 seconds after the CET at 0, 3 and 6 months of the APT program. Of note, the trained group showed significantly lower resting T cell proliferation (before and 24 hour after the CET) than the sedentary control groups at 0, 3 and 6 months of the APT program. There were no significant differences in cytokine production after the CET between both groups at any time point of the APT program.
CONCLUSIONS: These data show that APT does not condition against strenuous exercise-induced immune changes but significantly modulates T cell proliferative responses.

KEY WORDS: Exercise - Immune system phenomena - T-lymphocytes - Natural killer T cells