Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Sports Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Sports Medicine
. 2000 Feb;34(1):23–28. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.34.1.23

Neutrophil function response to aerobic and anaerobic exercise in female judoka and untrained subjects

B Wolach 1, B Falk 1, R Gavrieli 1, E Kodesh 1, A Eliakim 1
PMCID: PMC1724152  PMID: 10690446

Abstract

Objectives—Recent studies have indicated reduced immunity in trained athletes.

Aim—To assess the effects of aerobic and anaerobic exercise on the phagocytic process in 18–26 year old trained female judoka (n = 8) and untrained controls (n = 7).

Methods—Each subject participated randomly in two different testing sessions (aerobic, 20 minutes of treadmill running at 70–80% of maximal heart rate; anaerobic, Wingate anaerobic test). Venous blood samples were drawn before, immediately after, and 24 hours after each session.

Results—There were no significant differences in basal values of net chemotaxis (chemotaxis - random migration), bactericidal activity, and superoxide anion release between the judoka and the untrained women. There was a significant decrease in net chemotaxis 24 hours after the aerobic exercise in both the judoka (from 64 (19) to 39 (13) cells/field, p<0.02) and the untrained controls (from 60 (7) to 47 (12) cells/field, p<0.05). Bactericidal activity and superoxide anion release did not change significantly after aerobic exercise in either group. There were no significant changes in net chemotaxis, bactericidal activity, and superoxide anion release after anaerobic exercise in either the judoka or untrained women.

Conclusions—The decrease in net chemotaxis after aerobic, but not after anaerobic, exercise, suggests that net chemotaxis is affected by the combination of exercise intensity and duration, and not by the exercise intensity itself. Similar effects of both exercise sessions in the judoka and the untrained women suggest that training had no effect on neutrophil function response to aerobic and anaerobic exercises.

Key Words: exercise; aerobic; anaerobic; neutrophil function; female athlete

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (127.5 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Babu U., Failla M. L. Copper status and function of neutrophils are reversibly depressed in marginally and severely copper-deficient rats. J Nutr. 1990 Dec;120(12):1700–1709. doi: 10.1093/jn/120.12.1700. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Benoni G., Bellavite P., Adami A., Chirumbolo S., Lippi G., Brocco G., Cuzzolin L. Effect of acute exercise on some haematological parameters and neutrophil functions in active and inactive subjects. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1995;70(2):187–191. doi: 10.1007/BF00361548. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Böyum A. Isolation of mononuclear cells and granulocytes from human blood. Isolation of monuclear cells by one centrifugation, and of granulocytes by combining centrifugation and sedimentation at 1 g. Scand J Clin Lab Invest Suppl. 1968;97:77–89. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chandra R. K. Grace A. Goldsmith Award lecture. Trace element regulation of immunity and infection. J Am Coll Nutr. 1985;4(1):5–16. doi: 10.1080/07315724.1985.10720062. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Clawson C. C., Repine J. E. Quantitation of maximal bactericidal capability in human neutrophils. J Lab Clin Med. 1976 Aug;88(2):316–327. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Durnin J. V., Womersley J. Body fat assessed from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness: measurements on 481 men and women aged from 16 to 72 years. Br J Nutr. 1974 Jul;32(1):77–97. doi: 10.1079/bjn19740060. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Falk W., Goodwin R. H., Jr, Leonard E. J. A 48-well micro chemotaxis assembly for rapid and accurate measurement of leukocyte migration. J Immunol Methods. 1980;33(3):239–247. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(80)90211-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fitzgerald L. Overtraining increases the susceptibility to infection. Int J Sports Med. 1991 Jun;12 (Suppl 1):S5–S8. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-1024742. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Fukatsu A., Sato N., Shimizu H. 50-mile walking race suppresses neutrophil bactericidal function by inducing increases in cortisol and ketone bodies. Life Sci. 1996;58(25):2337–2343. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(96)00234-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gabriel H., Müller H. J., Kettler K., Brechtel L., Urhausen A., Kindermann W. Increased phagocytic capacity of the blood, but decreased phagocytic activity per individual circulating neutrophil after an ultradistance run. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1995;71(2-3):281–284. doi: 10.1007/BF00854992. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gatmaitan B. G., Chason J. L., Lerner A. M. Augmentation of the virulence of murine coxsackie-virus B-3 myocardiopathy by exercise. J Exp Med. 1970 Jun 1;131(6):1121–1136. doi: 10.1084/jem.131.6.1121. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Harris M. C., Douglas S. D., Lee J. C., Ziegler M. M., Gerdes J. S., Polin R. A. Diminished polymorphonuclear leukocyte adherence and chemotaxis following protein-calorie malnutrition in newborn rats. Pediatr Res. 1987 Jun;21(6):542–546. doi: 10.1203/00006450-198706000-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lee T. H., Nagakura T., Cromwell O., Brown M. J., Causon R., Kay A. B. Neutrophil chemotactic activity and histamine in atopic and nonatopic subjects after exercise-induced asthma. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1984 Mar;129(3):409–412. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1984.129.3.409. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Müns G. Effect of long-distance running on polymorphonuclear neutrophil phagocytic function of the upper airways. Int J Sports Med. 1994 Feb;15(2):96–99. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-1021027. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Nagy L. Serum neutrophil chemotactic activity and exercise induced asthma. Eur J Respir Dis. 1983 Apr;64(3):161–165. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Nieman D. C. Exercise, infection, and immunity. Int J Sports Med. 1994 Oct;15 (Suppl 3):S131–S141. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-1021128. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nieman D. C., Johanssen L. M., Lee J. W., Arabatzis K. Infectious episodes in runners before and after the Los Angeles Marathon. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1990 Sep;30(3):316–328. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Nieman D. C. Upper respiratory tract infections and exercise. Thorax. 1995 Dec;50(12):1229–1231. doi: 10.1136/thx.50.12.1229. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Ortega E., Collazos M. E., Maynar M., Barriga C., De la Fuente M. Stimulation of the phagocytic function of neutrophils in sedentary men after acute moderate exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1993;66(1):60–64. doi: 10.1007/BF00863401. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Pyne D. B., Baker M. S., Smith J. A., Telford R. D., Weidemann M. J. Exercise and the neutrophil oxidative burst: biological and experimental variability. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1996;74(6):564–571. doi: 10.1007/BF02376774. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. RUSSELL W. R. Paralytic poliomyelitis; the early symptoms and the effect of physical activity on the course of the disease. Br Med J. 1949 Mar 19;1(4602):465–471. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.4602.465. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Rodriguez A. B., Barriga C., De la Fuente M. Phagocytic function of blood neutrophils in sedentary young people after physical exercise. Int J Sports Med. 1991 Jun;12(3):276–280. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-1024680. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Schmidt K., Moser U. Vitamin C--a modulator of host defense mechanism. An overview. Int J Vitam Nutr Res Suppl. 1985;27:363–379. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Weening R. S., Wever R., Roos D. Quantitative aspects of the production of superoxide radicals by phagocytizing human granulocytes. J Lab Clin Med. 1975 Feb;85(2):245–252. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Wolach B., Baehner R. L., Boxer L. A. Review: clinical and laboratory approach to the management of neutrophil dysfunction. Isr J Med Sci. 1982 Sep;18(9):897–916. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Wolach B., Eliakim A., Gavrieli R., Kodesh E., Yarom Y., Schlesinger M., Falk B. Aspects of leukocyte function and the complement system following aerobic exercise in young female gymnasts. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1998 Apr;8(2):91–97. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.1998.tb00174.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Sports Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES