Aquatic exercise improves the monocyte pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production balance in fibromyalgia patients.
Current hypotheses of the etiology of fibromyalgia (FM) include inflammatory disorders. We evaluated the effect of a pool-aquatic exercise program (8 months, two weekly 60-min sessions) on the inflammatory cytokine production by isolated monocytes, and on the serum concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP), in a group of female FM patients. Monocytes from FM patients released more IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, and IL-10 than those from an age-matched control group of healthy women (HW). This inflammatory disorder in FM women was also manifested by high circulating concentrations of CRP. Increased IL-6 with a concomitant decreased TNFα spontaneous release was found after 4 months (midway through) of the exercise program. At the end of the program (8 months), monocytes from FM patients showed diminished spontaneous production of pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokines, with a similar spontaneous release of IL-1β and IL-6 to that of HW, but a lower production of TNFα and higher of IL-10. Lipopolysaccharide-induced production of IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, and IL-10 also decreased at the end of the exercise program, although IL-10 remained higher than HW. The anti-inflammatory effect of the exercise program was also corroborated by a decrease in the circulating CRP concentration. Exercise also improved the health-related quality of life of FM patients.
Research Group in Immunophysiology: Exercise, Stress and Health, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain. orincon@unex.es
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Ortega
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Bote
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Giraldo
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JJ
García
D000328:Adult; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D011788:Quality of Life; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D014867:Water
D016207:Cytokines; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014867:Water; D016753:Interleukin-10; D002097:C-Reactive Protein