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Anaerobic exercise causes transient changes in leukocyte subsets and IL-2R expression
A B Gray1, Y C Smart, R D Telford
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|December 1, 1992
Summary
Intense exercise temporarily alters immune cells in athletes and non-athletes. Trained athletes showed a delayed decrease in specific lymphocyte responses post-exercise, suggesting a unique immune adaptation to training.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Immunology
- Cellular Immunology
- Sports Science
Background:
- Intense athletic training and competition can suppress cellular immunity.
- This immune suppression may increase athletes' susceptibility to infections.
- Understanding immune responses to exercise is crucial for athlete health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in circulating leukocyte subsets after maximal-effort exercise.
- To compare immune responses between trained and untrained male subjects.
- To assess the transient nature of exercise-induced immune alterations.
Main Methods:
- 1-minute bicycle ergometry at maximum effort.
- Analysis of leukocyte subsets (monocytes, lymphocytes, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, granulocytes, CD25+) in trained and untrained males.
- Blood samples collected immediately post-exercise and 1 hour post-exercise.
- Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation of whole blood to assess lymphocyte responsiveness 6 hours post-exercise.
Main Results:
- Both groups showed significant increases in total leukocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ cells post-exercise.
- The CD4/CD8 ratio decreased significantly in both groups.
- Untrained subjects exhibited higher post-exercise CD8+ lymphocyte concentrations and percentages.
- Immune cell changes were transient, normalizing within 1 hour.
- Trained subjects showed a decreased percentage of CD25+ lymphocytes post-PHA stimulation 6 hours post-exercise.
Conclusions:
- Maximal-effort exercise induces transient alterations in leukocyte subpopulations in both trained and untrained individuals.
- Aerobically trained subjects exhibit a unique, potentially transient, alteration in lymphocyte mitogenic responsiveness post-exercise.
- These findings highlight exercise-induced immune modulation and its potential link to training status.