Harbaum, Lars; Renk,
Emilia; Yousef, Sara; Glatzel, Antonia; Lüneburg, Nicole; Hennigs, Jan;
Oqueka, Tim; Baumann, Hans; Atanackovic, Djordje; Grünig, Ekkehard;
Böger, Rainer; Bokemeyer, Carsten; Klose, Hans.

BMC Pulmonary Medicine, December 2016, Vol. 16 Issue: Number 1 p1-11, 11p;

Abstract: Exercise training positively influences exercise tolerance and functional
capacity of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension
(IPAH). However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We hypothesized
that exercise modulates the activated inflammatory state found in IPAH
patients.                   Single cardiopulmonary exercise testing was
performed in 16 IPAH patients and 10 healthy subjects. Phenotypic
characterization of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and circulating
cytokines were assessed before, directly after and 1 h after exercise.
Before exercise testing, IPAH patients showed elevated
Th2 lymphocytes, regulatory T lymphocytes, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, whilst
Th1/Th17 lymphocytes and IL-4 were reduced. In IPAH patients but not in
healthy subject, exercise caused an immediate relative decrease of Th17
lymphocytes and a sustained reduction of IL-1-beta and IL-6. The higher
the decrease of IL-6 the higher was the peak oxygen consumption of IPAH
patients.                   Exercise seems to be safe from an immune
and inflammatory point of view in IPAH patients. Our results
demonstrate that exercise does not aggravate the inflammatory state and
seems to elicit an immune-modulating effect in IPAH patients.