Mobilization of circulating leucocyte and lymphocyte subpopulations during and after short, anaerobic exercise

A group of 11 healthy athletes [age, 27.4 (SD 6.7) years; body mass, 75.3 (SD 9.2) kg; height, 182 (SD 8) cm; maximal oxygen uptake, 58.0 (SD 9.9) ml.kg-1.min-1] conducted maximal exercise of 60-s duration on a cycle ergometer [mean exercise intensity, 520 (SD 72) W; maximal lactate concentration, 12.26 (SD 1.35) mmol.l-1]. Adrenaline and noradrenaline, and leucocyte subpopulations were measured flow cytometrically at rest, after 5-min warming up at 50% of each individual's anaerobic threshold (followed by 5-min rest), immediately after (0 min), 15 min, 30 min, and 1, 2, 4 and 24 h after exercise. Granulocytes showed two increases, the first at 15 min and, after return to pre-exercise values, the second more than 2 h after exercise. Eosinophils also increased at 15 min but decreased below pre-exercise values 2 h after exercise. Total lymphocytes and monocytes had their maximal increases at 0 min. Out of all lymphocyte subpopulations CD3-CD16/CD56(+)- and CD8+CD45RO--cells increased most and had their maximal cell counts at 0 min. The CD3(+)-, CD4+CD45RO(+)-, CD8+CD45RO(+)-, and CD19(+)- increased at 0 min, but had their maximum at 15 min. During the hours after exercise CD3-CD16/CD56(+)-, CD3+CD16/CD56(+)-, CD8+CD45RO(+)- and CD8+CD45RO--cells were responsible for the lymphocytopenia. The CD3(+)- and CD3-CD16/CD56(+)-cells were lower 24 h after exercise than before exercise. Adrenaline and noradrenaline increased during exercise. In conclusion, short anaerobic exercise led to a sequential mobilization of leucocyte subpopulations. The rapid increase of natural killer cells and monocytes may have been due to increased blood flow and catecholamine concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)