Exercise Improves the Th1 Response by Modulating Cytokine and NO Production in BALB/c Mice

Abstract

Physical exercise can improve health and may lead to changes in the functionality of the immune system. Moderate intensity exercise can reduce the risk of infection by shifting the overall immune response towards a T helper type 1 pattern. This study investigates the effect of 12 weeks of swimming on the cytokine profile of lymph node cells and macrophages and of the nitric oxide production by these cells. BALB/c mice were divided into 2 groups. The exercise group was subjected to swimming exercise. Lymph node cells culture showed that concentrations of interferon-γ and tumour necrosis factor-α were higher in the exercised group, while levels of interleukine-4 and interleukine-10 were significantly decreased in this group. The interleukine-10/interferon-γ ratio tended towards a T helper type 1 profile. Moreover, macrophages isolated from exercised mice produced more interleukine-12 and tumour necrosis factor-α following lipopolysaccharide stimulus. Challenging these macrophages with Leishmania major resulted in higher interleukine-12 production than was observed with macrophages from the control group. Nitric oxide production was increased in macrophages isolated from exercised group following lipopolysaccharide stimulus but not following infection with Leishmania major. These data suggest that exercise biases the immune system towards a T helper type 1 response profile.

Strength and Aerobic Physical Exercises Are Able to Increase Survival of Toxoplasma gondii-Infected C57BL/6 Mice by Interfering in the IFN-γ Expression

“…These results are in agreement with those described by Terra and colleagues demonstrating that lymphocytes and macrophages from exercised mice have enhanced their efficiency to produce high pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IFN-γ, IL-12, TNF-α) when they were in vitro stimulated with LPS, ConA, and/or Leishmania major antigen (Terra et al, 2013). In the present study, beyond the data concerning STAg stimulation, when the splenocytes from ExI group were stimulated with LPS and ConA, the responses were not very strong for LPS and weak for ConA.…”

“…Nowadays, this expression can be defined as the field of the biomedical science that studies the interference of physical exercise in both induction and regulation of immune response and that is why exercise immunology is an essential subject for both physical education and immunology communities (Bortolini et al, 2013). Several studies concerning physical exercise found plenty improvements in immune system (Walsh et al, 2011a,b) and recent experimental works have reinforce its importance during various processes, as follows: (a) to fight cancer (Almeida et al, 2009), or protect graft (Fiuza-Luces et al, 2013) (b) to improve the clearance of pathogens, e.g., Trypanosoma cruzi (Schebeleski-Soares et al, 2009; Moreira et al, 2014); and (c) to promote regulation of cytokines as IFN-γ, TNF, TGF-β1, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-12 during infection by Leishmania (Terra et al, 2013), as well as regulation of TNF (Chao et al, 1992) or TNF and TGF-β (Moreira et al, 2014), during Toxoplasma gondii and T. cruzi infection, respectively.…”

Effect of a four-week exercise program on the secretion of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2 and IL-6 cytokines in elite Taekwondo athletes

“…Consistently, it was reported that acute aerobic exercise in humans did not alter the cytokine activity of T cells (18), and that combined strength and endurance exercise did not change IFN-γ and TNF-α levels in individuals with type II diabetes (19). However, it was shown that 12 weeks of swimming exercise elevated IFN-γ and TNF-α levels in mice (20), and that exercise increased the release of IFN-γ in horses (21). Additionally, it was demonstrated that intense physical activity could disrupt immune responses (22), and that an 8-week swimming exercise program (duration, 150 min per session; frequency, 6 days per week) reduced IFN-γ and IL-2 levels in rats (23).…”

Chronic effects of exhausting exercise and overtraining on the immune response: Th1 and Th2 profile

“…Data collected by Terra et al (2013) showed that lymph nodes cells from mice submitted to swimming activity of moderate intensity for 12 weeks presented an elevation in IFN-γ and TNF-α concentrations and IL-4 and IL-10 significantly decreased compared to sedentary group. These data suggest that moderate exercise promote the predominance of a protective immune response type Th1 in mice (Terra et al, 2013).…”

“…These data suggest that moderate exercise promote the predominance of a protective immune response type Th1 in mice (Terra et al, 2013). On the other hand, a review written by Smith (2000) suggests that trauma generated in muscle and skeletal system, from the extreme stress provoked by exercise, produce large amounts of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α (Smith, 2000).…”