The Effect of Short-term Eccentric Endurance Exercise on T-helper Cells Following Injection of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Glycoprotein D DNA Vaccine

Exercise activities can act as an endogenous adjuvant, enhancing the efficiency of the host immune response after vaccination. However, the effect of repeated bouts of eccentric endurance exercise on cellular and humoral immune-related responses to the vaccine is unclear. The present study was performed to investigate the activation of type 1 and 2 (Th) helper lymphocytes following three bouts of endurance eccentric exercise as an adjuvant for DNA vaccination. Thirty-six female Balb-c mice (6-8 weeks, body mass mean=18g) were randomly divided into six groups: control, exercise, vaccine, PcDNA, exercise-vaccine and exercise-PcDNA (6 mice in each group). Different groups underwent DNA vaccine and PcDNA injection immediately after the last exercise, all stages of exercise and injections were repeated after 12 days according to the vaccine protocol, and 12 days after the second vaccine injection, spleen samples were collected. On-way variance analysis was used for statistical analysis and P<0.05 considered for significance. According to the results of the study, the ratio of Th1/Th2 after antigen stimulation was significantly different between the control group with vaccine and exercise-PcDNA (P <0.05). Also, the exercise-vaccine group was significantly different from all research groups (P <0.05). The results of the present study confirm the increase in the Th1/Th2 cell ratio following repeated bouts of eccentric endurance exercise. Stimulation of muscle damage through exercise before DNA vaccination may have been effective in invoking innate immune system cells and effectively stimulating acquired immunity.