Effect of Moderate Exercise on IgA Levels and Lymphocyte Count in Mouse Intestine

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of moderate exercise on the production and secretion of IgA in mouse duodenum, on lymphocyte levels in the lamina propria, and on gene expression encoding for cytokines that regulate the synthesis of α-chain of IgA and the expression of pIgR in the lamina propria. Two groups of young Balb/c mice were fed ad libitum, one sedentary and the other with an exercise program (swimming) for 16 weeks. IgA levels in the duodenum were quantified by ELISA; the number of IgA containing cells as well as B cells, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in the duodenal mucosa was determined by immunohistochemistry; gene expression was analyzed by real-time PCR, and the expression of proteins by Western blotting. Because of physical training, in the duodenum there was a decrease in the number of IgA producing cells, but an increase in the levels of IgA. Additionally, exercise increased the expression of the genes encoding for IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and TGF β, cytokines that regulate the synthesis of IgA and pIgR, the inflammatory response, and the immune response in the intestine. Thus, the increased IgA found in the duodenal lumen is probably due to the increased production of IgA in the LP and the increased transport of the pIgA-pIgR complex across epithelial cells. Possibly the increased S-IgA levels in the bile also contribute to the change in IgA levels.

• Exercise
• Physical training
• Intestinal IgA
• pIgR
• Lymphocytes
• Cytokines

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Bruce Allan Larsen for reviewing the use of English in this manuscript. This work was supported in part by grants from SEPI-IPN and from Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Spain. M. Viloria received a scholarship from Conacyt for graduate studies # 207126. E. García-Latorre, R. Campos-Rodríguez, E. Lara-Padilla, P. López-Sánchez, A. Salas-Casas and A. Jarillo-Luna are fellows of COFAA and EDI-IPN.

Conflicts of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.