Resistive exercise blunts LPS-stimulated TNF-α and Il-1β

To examine the influence of acute resistive exercise and "hormone status" on cytokine profile, 35 postmenopausal women (72+/-6.2 yr) underwent a moderate-high-intensity resistive exercise bout or rested. There were 4 groups: no hormone replacement (NHR, n=9), hormone replacement (HRT, n = 12), selective estrogen receptor modulator (SER, n=7), or resting control (no hormone replacement, CON, n=7). NHR, HRT, and SER exercised (3 sets, 10 exercises @ 80% 1RM). Blood was collected pre-exercise (PR), postexercise (PO), and two hours (2H) postexercise (same times for CON). Blood was diluted 1 : 10 in culture medium and incubated (37 degrees C, 5% CO2, 24 h) with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 25 mu g. ml(-1)). Serum and supernatant from LPS-stimulated blood were analyzed for IL-6, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha using ELISA. Resistive exercise increased PO serum IL-6, and PO LPS-stimulated IL-6 and IL-1 beta in the exercise groups (HRT, NHR, SER collapsed; EX, n=28). LPS-stimulated IL-1 beta remained elevated at 2H in EX and was significantly higher than PR in CON at 2H. Expressed per monocyte, EX had significantly lower IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha LPS-stimulated production at PO and 2H compared to CON, indicating an exercise-induced blunting of an apparent diurnal response on cytokine production. In postmenopausal women, acute resistive exercise increased circulating IL-6, but reversed an apparent diurnal increase in LPS-stimulated IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha production with no influence of hormone replacement or raloxifene.