Impact of Acute Exercise Intensity and Pattern on Cytokine Function (AEX)

The immune system helps prevent illness, fights off infections, and repairs damaged tissues following an injury. However, when immune cells remain active for prolonged periods of time - a state known as "chronic inflammation" - they can contribute to the development and progression of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Exercise can reduce the risk of developing many of these diseases and at least part of the health benefits of exercise are due to the ability of exercise to reduce "chronic inflammation". The inflammation-lowering effects of exercise are typically captured by measuring hormone-like molecules released from immune cells called "cytokines" in the blood. In addition to changes in circulating cytokine levels, exercise may also alter how immune cells respond to these cytokines. How exercise intensity (i.e., how hard you are working during exercise) and pattern (i.e., exercising as a long continuous bout or in short intervals) impact the ability of immune cells to respond to cytokines is not well understood. A better understanding of how exercise intensity and pattern of exercise for reducing chronic inflammation may help determine the best types of exercises for improving health and preventing chronic diseases.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Inflammation
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Resting (no exercise) control; Other: Moderate intensity continuous exercise; Other: High intensity continuous exercise; Other: High intensity interval exercise

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 16
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, V1V1V7
      • UBC Okanagan

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18-35 years of age
• Body mass index between 18.5-30 kg/m^2
• Free of cardiometabolic and autoimmune/inflammatory disease

Exclusion Criteria:

• Competitive endurance athlete
• Cigarette smoker
• Currently taking immunomodulatory/anti-inflammatory medications
• Currently pregnant

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Resting (no exercise) control; Resting (no exercise) control condition	Other: Resting (no exercise) control; Participants will remain in a rested state (i.e., no exercise) for the entire session. Blood samples will be obtained at the same time-points as the exercise sessions.; Other Names: CTL
Experimental: Moderate intensity continuous exercise (MICE); Experimental session involving an acute bout of moderate intensity continuous exercise (MICE; continous cycling expending 350 kcal at 70% of lactate threshold)	Other: Moderate intensity continuous exercise; Participants will perform an acute bout of continuous cycling at 70% of the power output at lactate threshold until an energy expenditure of 350 kcal is achieved. Blood samples will be obtained immediately before and immediately, 30, and 90 minutes after exercise.; Other Names: MICE
Experimental: High intensity continuous exercise (HICE); Experimental session involving an acute bout of high intensity continuous exercise (HICE; continuous cycling expending 350 kcal at 10% of the difference between lactate threshold and VO2peak)	Other: High intensity continuous exercise; Participants will perform an acute bout of continuous cycling at 10% of the difference between lactate threshold and VO2peak until an energy expenditure of 350 kcal is achieved. Blood samples will be obtained immediately before and immediately, 30, and 90 minutes after exercise.; Other Names: HICE
Experimental: High intensity interval exercise (HIIT); Experimental session involving an acute bout of high intensity interval exercise (HIIT; cycling intervals expending 350 kcal at 10% of the difference between lactate threshold and VO2peak)	Other: High intensity interval exercise; Participants will perform an acute bout of interval cycling at at 10% of the difference between lactate threshold and VO2peak until an energy expenditure of 350 kcal is achieved. Blood samples will be obtained immediately before and immediately, 30, and 90 minutes after exercise.; Other Names: HIIE

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
IL-10 mediated STAT3 phosphorylation	Ex vivo leukocyte STAT3 phosphorylation in response to IL-10 treatment	Change from pre-exercise to immediately and 90-min post-exercise

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
IL-10 mediated TNF-alpha inhibition	Ex vivo inhibition of TNF-alpha production in response to IL-10 treatment	Change from pre-exercise to immediately and 90-min post-exercise
IL-6 mediated STAT3 phosphorylation	Ex vivo leukocyte STAT3 phosphorylation in response to IL-6 treatment	Change from pre-exercise to immediately and 90-min post-exercise
IL-6 mediated TNF-alpha inhibition	Ex vivo inhibition of TNF-alpha production in response to IL-6 treatment	Change from pre-exercise to immediately and 90-min post-exercise
Plasma IL-10	Concentration of IL-10 in plasma samples	Change from pre-exercise to immediately, 30-, and 90-min post-exercise
Plasma IL-6	Concentration of IL-6 in plasma samples	Change from pre-exercise to immediately, 30-, and 90-min post-exercise
Plasma TNF-alpha	Concentration of TNF-alpha in plasma samples	Change from pre-exercise to immediately, 30-, and 90-min post-exercise
Hematology panel	Complete blood count	Change from pre-exercise to immediately, 30-, and 90-min post-exercise
Extracellular vesicles	Concentration of extracellular vesicles in plasma	Change from pre-exercise to immediately, 30-, and 90-min post-exercise

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of British Columbia
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jonathan P Little, PhD, UBC Okanagan

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 15, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 6, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 6, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): October 10, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 6, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 4, 2023
• Last Verified: December 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Exercise; Cytokines; Leukocytes; Interleukin-6; Interleukin-10
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Inflammation
• Other Study ID Numbers: AEX2022

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No