T-cells in response to acute cardiorespiratory or resistance exercise in physically active or physically inactive older adults: A randomized crossover study

Circulating immune cell populations at rest and in response to acute endurance exercise in young adults with cerebral palsy

AIM

The aim of this observational study was to determine the immune status and function in young adults with cerebral palsy (CP) in comparison to typically developing individuals.

METHOD

Blood samples from 12 individuals with CP (five males, seven females; mean age: 25 years 1 month (5 years 9 months); age range: 19-38 years) and 17 typically developing individuals (eight males, nine females; mean age: 31 years 4 months (6 years 2 months); age range: 20-40 years) were collected before, immediately after, and 1 hour after 45 minutes of frame running or running respectively. Independent t-tests were used to compare heart rate, level of exertion, and baseline cell proportions between groups. Mixed model analysis of variance was utilized to investigate immune cell responses to exercise across groups.

RESULTS

Baseline levels of gamma delta (TCRγδ+) T-cells were significantly higher (absolute percentage: +2.65, p = 0.028) in the individuals with CP. Several cell populations showed similar significant changes after exercise in both CP and typically developing groups. Cytotoxic (CD8+) T-cells were only significantly elevated immediately after exercise in the typically developing participants (p < 0.01). Individuals with CP exhibited significantly lower heart rates (-11.1%, p < 0.01), despite similar ratings of perceived exertion.

INTERPRETATION

Elevated baseline TCRγδ+ T-cells may indicate low-grade inflammation in adults with CP. Although most of the cell populations showed typical responses to endurance exercise, the absence of response in CD8+ T-cells in individuals with CP may indicate the need for higher intensity during exercise.

Exercise to transform tumours from cold to hot and improve immunotherapy responsiveness

Exercise provides significant health benefits to patients diagnosed with cancer including improved survival outcomes, quality of life and reduced cancer recurrence. Across multiple murine cancer models, aerobic exercise and resistance training has exhibited anti-tumour properties illustrated by inhibited tumour growth, reduced metastatic potential and modulation of the tumour microenvironment to allow the recognition and destruction of cancer cells. Clinical studies have demonstrated the rapid mobilisation and circulatory release of mature lymphoid populations, myokines and cytokines that occurs with exercise along with tumour vasculature normalisation. Tumour microenvironments enriched with immune cells with anti-cancer potential, such as CD8+ T cells, are termed 'hot', whilst those favouring an immunosuppressive environment and lacking in effector immune cells are classed as 'cold'. Pre-clinical evidence suggests exercise training has the potential to reprogramme cold tumours to become hot, although this requires validation in clinical studies. This hot environment could potentiate immunotherapy responsiveness, improving survival outcomes of patients undergoing cancer immunotherapy and allow those with typically cold tumours to benefit from immunotherapy. This review discusses the complex interactions between exercise and cancer, including exercise-induced alterations within the tumour microenvironment and systemic immunity. The potential role exercise may play in improving cancer immunotherapy responsiveness is explored. This review also highlights the need for translational studies exploring the role of exercise in patients with cancer with the potential to widen the spectrum of tumours that derive significant benefit from immunotherapy.

A Case Series Tries to Answer Whether Exercise Positively Influences Immunosenescence

The immune system, the defense mechanism of the body, mainly consists of lymphocytes. The three primary subtypes of lymphocytes are natural killer cells (NK cells), bone marrow-derived lymphocytes (B-lymphocytes), and thymus-derived lymphocytes (T-lymphocytes). T-lymphocytes are mostly composed of CD (cluster of differentiation) cells, such as CD4+ and CD8+ subsets of CD cells. Immunosenescence is the term for the steady decline of the immune system with aging. There are alterations in the composition of various types of lymphocytes, especially in CD4 and CD8 T cells. The elderly are more vulnerable to infections due to immunosenescence, which raises morbidity and mortality rates. Physical exercises are believed to have the potential to alter immunosenescence and produce positive changes in immune cell composition. The extent of exercise-induced immune function changes was different in research studies owing to the differences in protocols, methodologies, testing procedures, ages, and gender compositions. The impact of an eight-week balance-based exercise intervention on immune biomarkers is investigated in this case series. In this case series, two elderly women residing in an institutional setting were exposed to an eight-week-long balanced-based supervised exercise intervention. The immunological biomarkers CD45, CD3, CD4, and CD8 were the outcome variables that were assessed. Data on the outcome variables was gathered both before and after the intervention. Using flow cytometry and single-platform technology, immune biomarkers were analyzed. Following the intervention, there was a rise in the CD45, CD3, CD4, and CD8 cell counts relative to the baseline data. The biomarkers showed only slight and statistically non-significant improvements.

Train your T cells: How skeletal muscles and T cells keep each other fit during aging

Frailty and a failing immune system lead to significant morbidities in the final years of life and bring along a significant burden on healthcare systems. The good news is that regular exercise provides an effective countermeasure for losing muscle tissue when we age while supporting proper immune system functioning. For a long time, it was assumed that exercise-induced immune responses are predominantly mediated by myeloid cells, but it has become evident that they receive important help from T lymphocytes. Skeletal muscles and T cells interact, not only in muscle pathology but also during exercise. In this review article, we provide an overview of the most important aspects of T cell senescence and discuss how these are modulated by exercise. In addition, we describe how T cells are involved in muscle regeneration and growth. A better understanding of the complex interactions between myocytes and T cells throughout all stages of life provides important insights needed to design strategies that effectively combat the wave of age-related diseases the world is currently faced with.