Lifelong exercise practice and immunosenescence : master athletes cytokine response to acute exercise

The study aimed to analyze the effects of aging and lifelong training on the main pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and the impact of acute exercise on the expression of these cytokines. Thirty-nine participants were allocated into 3 groups: young (31.8 +/- 3.00 yrs.), middle-aged (54.2 +/- 5.9 yrs.) and master athletes (53.1 +/- 8.8 yrs.) and performed a maximal incremental test on a cycle ergometer. Blood samples were obtained before (Pre), 10 min post-exercise (Post) and 1 h post-exercise (Post 1 h). Mean VO2max was similar for master athletes and youngers and higher compared to the middle-aged group. Resting values of the IL-1 ra, IL-1 beta, IL-4, and IL-8 were higher in master athletes compared to the young and middle-aged groups (P < 0.01), while the highest values of IL-10 and IL-17 were observed for the youngers (29.49 +/- 18.00 pg/mL and 66.24 +/- 23.23 pg/mL, respectively) with the middle-aged group showing the lowest values (2.13 +/- 1.40 pg/mL). Acute exercise effects (Post) were observed for IL-1 beta in the master athletes group, IL-6 in the young group and IL-4 for both groups (P < 0.05). No Post effects were observed for the middle-age group for all cytokines. The TNF-alpha/IL-10 ratio was higher in all moments for the middle-aged (P < 0.05). In conclusion, lifelong training helps to maintain the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, together with IL-10 levels close to those found in young adults11517COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPES1417/13-4Firstly, the authors would like to thank all the master athletes that volunteered to participate in this study. The Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra funded the study. The present manuscript was accomplished with support from CAPES, Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Brazil (grants numbers 1417/13-4