title: Frequent participation in high volume exercise throughout life is associated with a more differentiated adaptive immune response.
abstract: Exercise induces changes in the immune system depending on its intensity and duration. For example, transient states of immunodepression can be induced after acute intense physical activity whereas beneficial anti-inflammatory effects of moderate chronic exercise on many diseases and longevity have been described. To study the impact of high volume exercise over a lifetime on aspects of immunity we compared immunological features of 27 young and 12 elderly athletes with 30 young and 26 elderly non-athletes stratified by their CMV serostatus. We characterized blood leukocyte and lymphocyte subpopulations by flow cytometry, quantified TREC content, and measured activation and proliferation ability of T-lymphocytes in the presence of anti-CD3. NK-cells functionality was determined in response to K-562, 721.221 and 721.221-AEH cell-lines. High volume physical activity reduced the total number of circulating leukocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes. In the lymphocyte compartment, athletes had higher frequencies of NK-cells and CD8+ T-lymphocytes, whereas CD4+ T-lymphocytes were present at significantly lower levels in CMV-seropositive athletes. We found, in the high volume physical activity individuals, a higher degree of differentiation in CD4+ T-lymphocytes. CD8+ T-lymphocytes from young athletes had reduced TREC content and lower frequencies of recent thymic emigrants. Furthermore, the functional ability of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes was significantly impaired in young but not in elderly athletes, and may be compensated for significantly higher activation and degranulation of NK-cells. In conclusion, high volume exercise throughout life appears to be associated with increased levels of biomarkers that are associated with an aging immune system, which are partially reduced with physiological aging.
authors.affiliation: Immunology Department, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Marco Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moro-García
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphology and Cell Biology, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Benjamín
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fernández-García
authors.affiliation: Immunology Department, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Ainara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Echeverría
authors.affiliation: Instituto Vida Sana, Balneario de las Caldas, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Alonso
authors.affiliation: Consejería de Salud y Servicios Sanitarios del Principado de Asturias, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco Manuel
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Suárez-García
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Department, Hospital Monte Naranco, 33012 Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Solano-Jaurrieta
authors.affiliation: Immunology Department, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, 33006 Oviedo, Spain; Fundación Renal "Iñigo Alvarez de Toledo", Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: inmuno@hca.es.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: López-Larrea
authors.affiliation: Immunology Department, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, 33006 Oviedo, Spain. Electronic address: ralonsoarias@hotmail.es.
authors.forename: Rebeca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alonso-Arias
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000378:metabolism; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology
keywords: Aging; Exercise; Lymphocyte differentiation; NK-cells; T-lymphocytes