Combined Exercise Training and l-Glutamine Supplementation Enhances Both Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses after Influenza Virus Vaccination in Elderly Subjects

Abstract

Background: Since aging affects the immune responses against vaccination, the present study evaluated the effects of L-glutamine (Gln) supplementation in the humoral and cellular immune responses in elderly subjects, practitioners or not, of physical exercise training. Methods: Eighty-four elderly people (aged 72.6 ± 6.1), non-practitioners (NP, n = 31), and practitioners of combined-exercise training (CET, n = 53) were submitted to Influenza virus vaccination and supplemented with Gln (0.3 g/kg of weight + 10 g of maltodextrin, groups: NP-Gln (n = 14), and CET-Gln (n = 26)), or placebo (10 g of maltodextrin, groups: NP-PL (n = 17), and CET-PL (n = 27)). Blood samples were collected pre (baseline) and 30 days post-vaccination and supplementation. Results: Comparing with the baseline values, whereas the NP-Gln and CET-PL groups showed higher specific-IgM levels, the CET-Gln group showed higher specific-IgM and IgA levels post-vaccination. The titer rate of hemagglutination inhibition was higher in the CET-Gln, NP-PL, and NP-Gln groups post-vaccination than baseline values. The absolute number of naive and effector CD4+ T cells was higher especially in the NP-Gln and CET-Gln groups, whilst activated CD4+ T cells were higher in CET subgroups post-vaccination. Conclusion: Our results showed that both l-glutamine supplementation and combined-exercise training can improve the immune responses to the Influenza virus vaccine in elderly subjects.

Elderly Subjects Supplemented with L-Glutamine Shows an Improvement of Mucosal Immunity in the Upper Airways in Response to Influenza Virus Vaccination

“…In spite of the literature showing a gap of data concerning the effects of Gln supplementation in the SIgA production, particularly in the mucosa of the upper airways, recently, our group was able to demonstrate that elderly practitioners of combined exercise training that were supplemented with Gln presented an improvement of some antioxidant parameters [ 15 ]. Corroborating this beneficial effect of Gln in elderly subjects, another study developed by our group, also recently published [ 14 ], in which the same group of elderly practitioners of combined exercise training was evaluated, the Gln supplementation was able to increase the levels of specific antibodies, particularly IgM and IgA, for the influenza virus vaccine. Although we cited that the overwhelming majority of elderly volunteer participants in the present study were also enrolled in these two already-published studies, we cannot affirm that the prominent results obtained in these previous studies had a direct impact on the data obtained in the present study.…”

“…All volunteers were selected and recruited from the Discipline of Geriatrics and Gerontology belonged to the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP). It is worth mentioning that the overwhelming majority of them have participated in other studies recently published by our group [ 14 , 15 ]. None of them took any antioxidant/multivitamin supplements and had a diet with a protein intake of more than 1.75 g/kg body mass at the time of the study; moreover, no participants used anti-inflammatory drugs in the last two months.…”

“…In order to amplify our understanding of interventions that can mitigate the effect of aging on the immune response against the influenza vaccine, beyond the regular practice of exercise training, an adequate nutritional balance with supplementation including proteins as well as amino-acids has been helpful to achieve this goal [ 12 , 13 ]. In this respect, recently, our group was able to demonstrate that a group of elderly subjects supplemented with L-glutamine showed enhancement of both humoral and cellular immunity against influenza virus vaccination [ 14 ]. Furthermore, we also showed that oral L-glutamine supplementation presents a notable capacity to modulate oxidative stress and inflammation and to improve salivary redox indexes in the same group of elderly subjects [ 15 ].…”

“…Interestingly, it has been reported that the Gln consumption by the immune cells can be greater than glucose in order to guarantee adequate immunity against pathogens through its capacity of modulating macrophages, lymphocytes, and neutrophils functions [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. However, despite the fact that the Gln has a singular property in the immune system and also that there are many studies that address the effects of the elderly immune response to the influenza vaccine [ 11 , 17 , 21 ], there is a lack of studies that aimed to evaluate the action of Gln in this context [ 14 ].…”

Sustaining efficient immune functions with regular physical exercise in the COVID‐19 era and beyond

“…45 Vaccination is considered the most effective mechanism to boost the IS and there are consistent pieces of evidence showing that rPE can improve the vaccination responses, particularly in older people, 46 which can putatively support the positive relationship between physical exercises and the maintenance of the normal functioning of the IS. 47,48 As shown in Figure 1, these recommendations are extended to all ages and are associated with the specific healthpromoting responses of regular physical exercise within each age group. Regarding the children, novel findings have shown that several of the genomic and epigenetic pathways modulated by physical exercise in children's immune cells were related to growth and oxidative repair, as well as disease prevention.…”