Abstract
Background: Acute exercise modulates the immune response in healthy individuals; however, it effect on asthmatic patients remains unknown. Objective: To evaluate the effects of an acute high intensity exercise on systemic inflammatory mediators in patients. Methods: Thirty-nine patients with moderate or severe asthma under medical treatment and clinically stable (<30days without exacerbation) were included (42±10 years, FEV1=76.8± 21.4% predicted). All patients were submitted to one bout of at high intensity exercise (80% of VO2max) in a treadmill. A venous blood was collected at rest, immediately after and one hour after the exercise and serum cytokines (interleukin-5 (IL-5), IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10) were measured by using cytometric beat array method (BD Biosciences, CA, USA). Results: Immediately after the exercise bout, asthmatic patients demonstrated a significant increase in plasma cytokines compared to rest IL-5 (246±308 vs. 95±104 fg.mL-1), IL-6 (449±559 vs. 194±196 fg.mL-1), IL-8 (3.3±1.6 vs. 1.8±1 pg.mL-1) and IL-10 (102±83 vs. 38±62 fg.mL-1) (p<0.05 for all). One hour after the exercise, inflammatory cytokines (IL-5, IL-6, IL-8) levels returned to rest levels (p>0.05); however, the levels of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, remained at higher levels compared with rest values (81±92 vs. 38±62 fg.mL-1,p<0.05). Conclusion: One bout of high intensity exercise induced a persistent increase in the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine and a transitory increase in the pro-inflammatory cytokines. These results reinforce the relevance of exercise to modulate inflammation in asthmatic patients.
- © 2014 ERS