Splenic immunomodulation with swimming-induced stress in rats

In order to determine the effects of swimming-induced stress, young male Wistar rats swam for a single session of 2 h duration, or for one 2-h session a day for five consecutive days. The absolute number of splenic mononuclear cells and the in vitro proliferation of mitogen-stimulated (PHA) T lymphocytes were studied. A single swimming session did not significantly diminish the number of splenic mononuclear cells, but it did significantly reduce splenic T-lymphocyte proliferation. This effect on T-lymphocyte proliferation was significantly blocked, in part, by subcutaneous injection of naltrexone before a swimming session. It was not significantly blocked by pre-exercise oral administration of aminoglutethimide. Repeated swimming sessions induced no significant changes in immune parameters. In conclusion, these data suggest that immunosuppression seen with a single swimming-induced stress period may partly be due to endogenous opioids, and that repetition of the swimming session reduced swimming-induced immunomodulation.