Training status influences T-cell responses in women following acute resistance exercise

The purpose of this investigation was to examine white blood cell counts (WBC), immunoglobulin (IgA, IgG, IgM) levels, and T-cell proliferation following acute resistance training in 9 untrained (UT) and 6 trained (TR) women. Resistance training on 7 Universal machines at the subject's 10 repetition maximum (IORM) was performed at 89 +/- 5% for UT and 88 +/- 3% for TR. Blood was analyzed for WBCs and Ig levels pre-exercise, immediately postexercise, and 1.5, 3, and 24 hours postexercise. T-cell proliferation was determined pre-exercise and 3 hours postexercise through response to phytohemagglutanin (PHA). WBCs were significantly elevated in the UT subjects 1.5 and 3 hours postexercise compared with pre- and immediately postexercise; no differences (p < 0.05) were observed in TR subjects. No significant differences were found for Ig levels either between or within groups, although there was a trend for decreased IgG following exercise. T-cell proliferation was significantly decreased in the UT at 3 hours postexercise (0.27 +/- 0.06 units) compared with pre-exercise (0.41 +/- 0.06 units), whereas the proliferative response in TR was not significantly different from pre-exercise (0.48 +/- 0.04 units) to 3 hours postexercise (0.34 +/- 0.06 units). These data indicate that UT subjects experience an increase in WBC counts and a decrease in T-cell proliferative ability after acute resistance training, whereas TR subjects experience no significant change in these parameters.