It remains unclear whether immune response to viral infection is inhibited by severe exercise. We determined whether exhaustive exercise inhibits interferon (IFN)-â and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-á production after injection of synthetic double-stranded (ds) RNAs, a polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid (poly I:C), as viral infection model. Male C3H/HeN mice, which were divided into exhaustive-exercised and non-exercised groups, were injected with poly I:C (5 mg/kg). Although TNF-á in response to poly I:C was significantly inhibited by exhaustive exercise, IFN-â was no different in both groups. In in-vitro experiments, catecholamines inhibited poly I:C-induced TNF-á, but not IFN-â, production in macrophages. These results suggest that anti-virus cytokine IFN-â in response to poly I:C might be maintained despite severe stressful exercise.
Animals Dopamine