Effect of acute low-intensity exercise on polymorphonuclear cell function in type 2 diabetes patients with poor glycemic control

Abstract

Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients, defined by glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥ 8.5%, show an impairment in polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell function leading to prone to infection. Exercise training can
improve immune cell function, since it augments resistance to infections. However, there has been no study of PMN cell function following a single bout of low-intensity exercise in T2D patients with poor glycemic control though the exercise is practical for the patients. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate PMN phagocytosis and oxidative burst following a single bout of low-intensity exercise in T2D patients with poor glycemic control. In the experiment, the patients performed a cycling at low intensity for 20 min. Four milliliters of blood samples from the T2D patients (n=10) were collected at rest, immediatelyafter exercise (Post-Exs), and 24 hours after exercise (24h Post-Exs) to investigate PMN cell function. The percentage of PMN phagocytosis and oxidative burst were quantified by a two-color flow cytometric procedure. The phagocytosis was determined after incubation of fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) with whole blood for 15, 30 and 60 min. Then, the activated cells were simultaneously added with dihydroethidium to determine oxidative burst. The results showed that phagocytosis and oxidative burst were not different immediately and 24 hours after the exercise compared to baseline. However, the function of PMN cell increased with the incubation time (15, 30 and 60 min; p-value <0.05) at rest and after the exercise. In conclusion, our findings revealed that a single bout of low-intensity exercise had no effect on PMN cell function in T2D patients with poor glycemic control.