- Researchers have shown that exercise can enhance the immune response by increasing the production of cells of the immune system called lymphocytes.
- Lymphocytes or white blood cells are involved in the immune response to infections with bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.
- These findings were observed in experiments with mice. If applicable to humans, these conclusions could lead to new strategies to boost the immune response in infections and after vaccinations with regular exercise.
Doctors always recommend regular exercise as any kind of physical activity is good for the body. While going to the gym and enjoying certain sports during the pandemic can be challenging, there are plenty of ways to make up for the lack of access. Running, walking, and exercising at home are some of the simplest options during the pandemic that allow anyone to stay active without exposing themselves to other people. And if this new study is true, the best reason to exercise may be that it can help you overcome infections like COVID-19.
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Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have found that exercise stimulates the production of immune cells in bones that fight infection. These are lymphocytes, also called white blood cells (including B and T cells), which are called upon to fight pathogens. Lymphocytes are involved in the immune response to an infection, be it the new coronavirus, a bacteria or some other type of germ that does not belong in the body.
The researchers showed that exercise stimulates the production of cells that will later be involved in the immune response. Their study, published in Nature, also offers another remarkable finding: aging depletes the reserves of lymphocyte precursors in the bone marrow. An accompanying article in Nature explained the results.
Bone marrow contains different types of stem cells and progenitor cells that live side by side in so-called niches. The researchers showed that exercise can increase the number of lymphocyte precursors leaving bone on their way to the small blood vessels that vascularize organs.
The following image explains the various components found in bone in addition to arterioles. The authors looked at the precursors of bone cells in the bone marrow that express the proteins leptin receptor (LepR) and osteolectin (Oln).
During exercise, bones are stimulated and a mechanically sensitive ion channel called Pizeo1 is activated on the LepR + Oln + cells. Then two things happen. The cells located next to each other will differentiate, which leads to the formation of new bone cells. Exercise also leads to the expression and secretion of a signaling molecule called stem cell factor (SCF), which affects the nearby common lymphoid progenitor cells (CLPs). These CLPs turn into lymphocytes.
The researchers created mutant mice without the gene coding for SCF in their Oln + cells. This did not affect blood cell development in the bone marrow, but it did lead to a significant decrease in CLP, resulting in fewer lymphocytes ready to fight infection. The authors exposed the mutant mice to a bacteria called bacteria Listeria monocytogenes and found that animals lacking the SCF gene did not clear the bacteria as efficiently as their controls. The scientists also conducted a separate experiment involving movement. They placed mice in cages with running wheels and found that running led to a higher number of Oln + and CLP cells in the bone marrow. The mice with Oln + cells expressed the mechanosensitive ion channel protein Piezo1, while mutants had abnormally low CLP numbers.
The conclusion is that exercise can stimulate the immune system. This, in turn, could lead to a better immune response to infection. If the same conclusions hold for humans, new approaches and protocols could be developed for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
The authors also found that the number of Oln + and CLP cells was lower in the bone marrow of 18 month old mice than 2 month old animals. All animals were active, indicating that other factors had reduced the expression of those cells, which could lead to problems with the immune system. The authors of the accompanying paper noted that more research is needed to determine whether exercise can improve bacterial clearance in mice. Another thing to investigate is whether exercise can boost responses to vaccinations.
The full study is available at this link and the companion article can be found here.
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Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby and before he knew it, he shared his thoughts on tech matters with readers around the world. When not writing about gadgets, he sadly fails to stay away from them, although he desperately tries. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.