Elsevier

American Heart Journal

Volume 117, Issue 6, June 1989, Pages 1298-1302
American Heart Journal

Clinical investigation
Exercise in coxsackie B3 myocarditis: Effects on heart lymphocyte subpopulations and the inflammatory reaction

https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-8703(89)90409-2Get rights and content

Abstract

To investigate whether exercise in coxsackie B3 virus infection is detrimental to the myocardium, Balb/c mice were inoculated with the virus and exercised to exhaustion on a motor-driven treadnill up to 48 hours after the inoculation. This infection evokes myocarditis. The inflammatory and necrotic lesions in the ventricular myocardium 7 days after the inoculation covered 4.32% of the tissue section area in the nonexercised group. Exercise at 0 hours did not affect this myocardial damage (4.77%), whereas exercise at 48 hours after the inoculation increased the lesion to 7.85% (p < 0.05). Lethality was not influenced by exercise. The response pattern of myocardial lymphocyte subpopulations was studied with an immune histochemical staining technique. The number of T cytotoxic, T suppressor cells increased threefold (p < 0.01), and the T cytotoxic, suppressor/T helper cell ratio increased twofold (p < 0.01) with exercise at 48 hours but was unchanged with exercise at 0 hours. The number of class II expressing cells decreased with exercise at 48 hours (p < 0.05) and was negatively correlated (p < 0.01) with the size of the inflammatory reaction. The development of myocardial inflammatory and necrotic lesions seems to be dependent on the presence and cooperation of class II expressing cells and T killer cells. Furthermore, failure to restrict physical activity in the acute phase of this infection may well contribute to the progression of the disease.

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    Supported by grants from the Swedish National Administration Against Heart and Chest Disease, the Swedish National Environment Protection Board and Idrottens Forskningsrád.

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