Thermoneutrality Alters Gastrointestinal Antigen Passage Patterning and Predisposes to Oral Antigen Sensitization in Mice

Food allergy is an emerging epidemic, and the underlying mechanisms are not well defined partly due to the lack of robust adjuvant free experimental models of dietary antigen sensitization. As housing mice at thermoneutrality (Tn) - the temperature of metabolic homeostasis (26-30°C) - has been shown to improve modeling various human diseases involved in inflammation, we tested the impact of Tn housing on an experimental model of food sensitization. Here we demonstrate that WT BALB/c mice housed under standard temperature (18-20°C, Ts) conditions translocated the luminal antigens in the small intestine (SI) across the epithelium via goblet cell antigen passages (GAPs). In contrast, food allergy sensitive Il4raF709 mice housed under standard temperature conditions translocated the luminal antigens in the SI across the epithelium via secretory antigen passages (SAPs). Activation of SI antigen passages and oral challenge of Il4raF709 mice with egg allergens at standard temperature predisposed Il4raF709 mice to develop an anaphylactic reaction. Housing Il4raF709 mice at Tn altered systemic type 2 cytokine, IL-4, and the landscape of SI antigen passage patterning (villus and crypt involvement). Activation of SI antigen passages and oral challenge of Il4raF709 mice with egg antigen under Tn conditions led to the robust induction of egg-specific IgE and development of food-induced mast cell activation and hypovolemic shock. Similarly, Tn housing of WT BALB/c mice altered the cellular patterning of SI antigen passage (GAPs to SAPs). Activation of SI antigen passages and the oral challenge of WT BALB/c mice with egg antigen led to systemic reactivity to egg and mast cell activation. Together these data demonstrate that Tn housing alters antigen passage cellular patterning and landscape, and concurrent oral exposure of egg antigens and SAP activation is sufficient to induce oral antigen sensitization.

Thermoneutral immersion exercise accelerates heart rate recovery: A potential novel training modality

This study compared heart rate recovery (HRR) after incremental maximal exercise performed at the same external power output (P_ext) on dry land ergocycle (DE) vs. immersible ergocycle (IE). Fifteen young healthy participants (30 ± 7 years, 13 men and 2 women) performed incremental maximal exercise tests on DE and on IE. The initial P_ext on DE was 25 W and was increased by 25 W/min at a pedalling cadence between 60 and 80 rpm, while during IE immersion at chest level in thermoneutral water (30°C), the initial P_ext deployment was at a cadence of 40 rpm which was increased by 10 rpm until 70 rpm and thereafter by 5 rpm until exhaustion. Gas exchange and heart rate (HR) were measured continuously during exercise and recovery for 5 min. Maximal HR (DE: 176 ± 15 vs. IE 169 ± 12 bpm) reached by the subjects in the two conditions did not differ (P > .05). Parasympathetic reactivation parameters (ΔHR from 10 to 300 s) were compared during the DE and IE HR recovery recordings. During the IE recovery, parasympathetic reactivation in the early phase was more predominant (HRR at Δ10-Δ60 s, P < .05), but similar in the late phase (HRR at Δ120-Δ300 s, P > .05) when compared to the DE condition. In conclusion, incremental maximal IE exercise at chest level immersion in thermoneutral water accelerates the early phase parasympathetic reactivation compared to DE in healthy young participants.

Application of A Physiological Strain Index in Evaluating Responses to Exercise Stress - A Comparison Between Endurance and High Intensity Intermittent Trained Athletes

The study evaluated differences in response to exercise stress between endurance and high-intensity intermittent trained athletes in a thermoneutral environment using a physiological strain index (PSI). Thirty-two subjects participated in a running exercise under normal (23°C, 50% RH) conditions. The group included nine endurance trained athletes (middle-distance runners - MD), twelve high-intensity intermittent trained athletes (soccer players - HIIT) and eleven students who constituted a control group. The exercise started at a speed of 4 km·h^–1 which was increased every 3 min by 2 km·h^–1 to volitional exhaustion. The heart rate was recorded with a heart rate monitor and aural canal temperature was measured using an aural canal temperature probe. The physiological strain index (PSI) and the contribution of the circulatory and thermal components to the overall physiological strain were calculated from the heart rate and aural canal temperature. The physiological strain index differed between the study and control participants, but not between the MD and HIIT groups. The physiological strain in response to exercise stress in a thermoneutral environment was mainly determined based on the circulatory strain (MD group - 73%, HIIT group – 70%). The contribution of the circulatory and thermal components to the physiological strain did not differ significantly between the trained groups (MD and HIIT) despite important differences in morphological characteristics and training-induced systemic cardiovascular and thermoregulatory adaptations.

Effects of Long-Term Food Restriction Under Thermoneutral Conditions on Brown Adipose Tissue of Laboratory Mice

Long-term food restriction (3 weeks, 60% of normal consumption of control animals) was followed by an increase in DNA and protein content in the intercapsular brown fat of mice. As the animals were kept under thermoneutral conditions, these changes are thought to be a result of food restriction.