138. Short bouts of voluntary wheel running reduce the inflammatory insult of ulcerative colitis in C57Bl/6j mice

Abstract

We have shown that 6 wks of voluntary wheel running (VWR) reduces, whereas forced treadmill training (∼500 m/d) exacerbates the pathogenesis/symptomology of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice (Cook BBI, 2013). The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether lower volumes of VWR affect DSS-induced colitis. We hypothesized that VWR for 40 min/d (∼500 m/d) for 6 weeks would similarly attenuate DSS-induced symptoms and inflammation. Methods: C57Bl/6 J mice exercised for 6 weeks (5 d/wk) with continuous wheel access (VWR; n = 10), VWR 40 min/d (VWR40’; n = 10), or forced treadmill running (FTR; 40 min/d at 8–12 m/min; n = 7). A control group remained sedentary (SED; n = 7). Following this, DSS (2%) was given in drinking water for 5 days. We assessed food/fluid intake and body weight (BW) throughout DSS treatment. Mice were euthanized and colons harvested at 3 days post-DSS (Day 8) for gene expression analysis. Results: BW of all mice were reduced over the course of DSS administration ( p α and IL-6 were significantly reduced ( p β trended lower in the VWR and VWR40’ groups after DSS treatment compared to SED/ FTR. Conclusion: Six weeks of VWR or VWR40’ diminished the inflammatory response to DSS relative to SED/ FTR. These data suggest that 40 min/day voluntary exercise for 6 wks may be sufficient to reduce inflammation triggered by UC.