Immune cell mobilization after exhaustive exercise and its association with subjective mental state in young healthy
Frederike Adammek1, David Walzik1, Alexander Schenk1
1Research Group Sports Medicine, Institute for Sport and Sport Science, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Straße 3, Dortmund 44227, Germany.
Background:
The biological foundation of changes in mental state after acute exercise is not yet understood, but it may be related to immunological alterations. The study investigated the hypothesis that the exercise-induced mobilization in circulating immune cells and cellular inflammation markers are associated with changes in the subjective mental state. As a secondary aim, the study investigated, wether the effects of the circulating immune cells are sex-dependent.
Methods:
In a randomized cross-over trial, 24 young healthy adults (eight female; age 25.75 ± 4.35 years) completed a single exercise bout until exhaustion on a cycle ergometer and a passive control session. Outcomes were assessed immediately before, after the session, and 1 h, 3 h, 24 h, and 48 h after the session and comprise cell counts of leukocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils and platelets, and the inflammation markers neutrophil-to-lymphocyte-ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte-ratio and systemic-immune-inflammation-index as blood-based parameters, and subjective mental state measured using the Multidimensional-Mood-Questionnaire (MDMQ, subdomains mood, energetic arousal, calmness).
Results:
There were significant time*group effects for all blood-based parameters (p < 0.001) and significant main effects of time for the MDMQ mood (p < 0.001) and energetic arousal (p = 0.008). No significant sex-dependent differences were obeserved. Within the intervention group, MDMQ energetic arousal showed significant correlations with lymphocytes (rrm=-0.41, p < 0.001), platelets (rrm=-0.28, p = 0.002), NLR (rrm=0.28, p = 0.002), PLR (rrm=0.33, p < 0.001), SII (rrm=0.269, p = 0.003) and MDMQ calmness showed significant correlations with leukocytes (rrm=-0.29, p = 0.002), lymphocytes (rrm=-0.36, p < 0.001), platelets (rrm=-0.30, p = 0.001), and PLR (rrm=0.25, p = 0.007). Within the control group, MDMQ mood showed significant correlations with lymphocytes (rrm=0.20, p = 0.031, NLR (rrm=-0.28, p = 0.002), PLR (rrm=-0.19, p = 0.033), SII (rrm=-0.24, p = 0.008) and MDMQ calmness showed significant correlations with PLR (rrm=-0.23, p = 0.011), SII (rrm=-0.20, p = 0.029). Fisher´s z-test revealed no significant difference between the correlations of the groups.
Conclusion:
Acute exhaustive exercise affects immune cells, inflammation markers, and the subjective mental state regardless of sex. The correlation between blood-based parameters and the MDMQ appears to be robust and indicates relevant psychoneuroimmune associations in the human body. However, the acute exercise intervention used in this study does not influence this association.
Clinical Trial Registration Number:
DRKS00028792.
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