Abstract
Intensive training and exhausting exercise can disrupt innate and acquired immunity. The flavanone hesperidin has shown immunomodulatory properties in physiological and some pathological conditions, and positive effects on exercise-induced oxidative stress. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether it also prevents exhausting exercise-induced immune alterations. The aim of this study was to establish the effect of oral hesperidin supplementation on the systemic immune system in rats following an intensive training and exhausting exercise. For this purpose, female Wistar rats were randomized into an intensive training group or a sedentary group. Intensive training was induced by running in a treadmill 5 days per week (including two exhausting tests) for five weeks. Throughout the training period, 200 mg/kg of hesperidin or vehicle was administered by oral gavage three times per week. At the end, blood, thymus, spleen and macrophages were collected before, immediately after and 24 h after an additional final exhaustion test. Hesperidin supplementation enhanced natural killer cell cytotoxicity and the proportion of phagocytic monocytes, attenuated the secretion of cytokines by stimulated macrophages, prevented the leukocytosis induced by exhaustion and increased the proportion of T helper cells in the thymus, blood and spleen. These results suggest that hesperidin can prevent exhausting exercise-induced immune alterations.
Highlights
Nowadays, there is no doubt about the benefits of regular physical activity for health and in the prevention of several diseases
We have recently demonstrated that intensive training and exhausting exercise in rats impairs innate immunity [6], in particular the phagocytic and the natural killer (NK) cytotoxic activities and macrophage cytokine secretion
Considering the innate immunity, we have previously reported that a similar exhausting exercise reduced the spleen NK cell proportion but increased its cytotoxic activity, decreased the phagocytic activity by blood phagocytes, and altered the pattern of peritoneal macrophage cytokine secretion [6]
Summary
There is no doubt about the benefits of regular physical activity for health and in the prevention of several diseases. Sedentary life is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity, hypertension and depression [1,2]. Physical activity stimulates the body’s cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal and metabolic systems, making them more efficient. It is important to point out that the immune system functionality is influenced by physical exercise. In comparison with sedentary behavior, it is well established that regular or moderate physical activity improves the immune system defensive function [3]. Its functionality can be reduced when the exercise performance is extreme or excessive.
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