Immunomodulation by 8‐week voluntary exercise in mice

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Abstract
This study was designed to evaluate the effects of voluntary exercise on macrophage and lymphocyte functions in mice. Male A/He inbred mice aged 19 weeks were divided into two groups: a group given voluntary exercise and a control group (n = 10 in each group). Exercise consisted of spontaneous running in wheels for 8 weeks (3 days week–1). Glucose consumption of peritoneal macrophages in the exercise group during incubation up to 72 h was significantly higher than that in the control group (70 and 13%, respectively). Also, activities of acid phosphatase (APH) (10.75 ± 0.37 IU), β-glucuronidase (GLU) (1.55 ± 0.07 IU) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (43.3 ± 0.7 IU) in the peritoneal macrophages in the exercise group was significantly increased (P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, the exercise group had a significant increase of about twofold in macrophage production of nitric oxide (NO2–) stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (11.1 ± 0.1 vs. 5.9 ± 0.1 μM mL–1 in exercise and control groups, respectively; P < 0.01). Stimulation indices both by concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohaemagglutinin were also significantly higher in the exercise group (P < 0.01). A significant increase in the splenocyte production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) stimulated by Con A was noticed in the exercise group (354.1 ± 28.8 vs. 218.9 ± 23.5 pg mL–1 in exercise and control groups, respectively; P < 0.01). These findings suggest that voluntary exercise enhances not only macrophage function but also lymphocyte responsiveness in mice. In the studies of voluntary exercise, evaluation of NO2– production, as an indicator of macrophage function, is recommended.