Abstract
To study the effects of exercise on natural killer (NK) cell number and activity (NKCA) healthy male (n = 32) and female (n = 32) subjects were randomly assigned to an exercise or control condition. Exercise involved a continuous incremental protocol consisting of cycling for three periods of 6 min at work rates corresponding to 55%, 70% and 85% peak oxygen uptake (\(\dot V{\text{O}}_{2{\text{peak}}}\)). Blood samples were drawn at baseline, at 6 min, 12 min and 18 min during exercise, and at 2 h following completion of exercise. Relative to both baseline and control conditions, exercise resulted in an increase in the number of circulating lymphocytes. The proportion of T cells (CD3+) and B cells (CD19 +) significantly decreased, and NK cells (CD3−CD16+CD56+) increased throughout exercise. NKCA increased (P < 0.001) during the initial 6 min of exercise with no further changes observed, despite increases (P < 0.001) in the number and proportion of circulating NK cells during exercise at 70% and 85% \(\dot V{\text{O}}_{2{\text{peak}}}\). Plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine increased (P < 0.001) above baseline at 12 min and 18 min. The changes in NK cell number and function were independent of gender. The results indicate that short-duration low-intensity exercise can significantly increase NK cell number and activity. However, alterations in NK cell number are not accompanied by changes of a similar magnitude in NKCA.
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Moyna, N.M., Acker, G.R., Weber, K.M. et al. Exercise-induced alterations in natural killer cell number and function. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 74, 227–233 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00377445
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00377445