The Effect of Particulate Matter Exposure on the Inflammatory Airway Response of Street Runners and Sedentary People

Abstract

Physical exercise promotes many health benefits. However, its effects are not well known in a polluted environment. Thus, this study aimed to compare upper airway inflammatory responses between street runners and sedentary individuals. Twenty-eight volunteers were recruited: runners (n = 14) and sedentary individuals (n = 14), who lived and worked in the same metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil. Particulate matter (PM) levels were monitored ten weeks before winter (low PM levels) and ten weeks after the beginning of winter (high PM levels) [PM10 (p < 0.0001) and PM2.5 (p < 0.0001)]. The cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17A) levels in the nasal lavage and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) were taken at the beginning of the winter (baseline) and ten weeks afterwards (after ten weeks of high PM exposure). IL-6 concentration increased in both runners (p = 0.037) and sedentary individuals (p = 0.027) after high PM exposure compared to the baseline. IL-10 concentration increased in sedentary individuals (p = 0.037) while IL-17A levels were increased in runners (p = 0.001) after high PM exposure compared to the baseline. FeNO levels decreased in runners (p = 0.025) after high PM exposure compared to the baseline. Outdoor endurance training acts as an inducer of a differentiated immune response in the upper airways of runners compared to individuals with a sedentary lifestyle from the same community after elevated PM exposure.

Differential effects of intense exercise and pollution on the airways in a murine model

“…Nowadays, air pollution is a major issue and the negative health effects of pollutants have been shown repeatedly [ 11 – 13 ]. This is also true for elite athletes, who perform intensive outdoor activities [ 14 – 16 ]. The positive effects of moderate-intensity exercise on health are widely recognised, resulting in a massive increase of running events for non-elite athletes.…”

Pulmonary Effects Due to Physical Exercise in Polluted Air: Evidence from Studies Conducted on Healthy Humans

“…In asthmatics, Pietropaoli et al [70] found increased macrophages in induced sputum when they performed two hours of intermittent exercise in an environment with ultrafine particulate matter (10 µg/m 3 ), unlike healthy subjects (10, 25, and 50 µg/m 3 ). A recent study highlighted the effect of outdoor endurance training as an immune protection factor against exposure to particulate matter by controlling lung inflammation in this group, but not in exposed sedentary subjects [71]. This reinforces the importance of controlling air quality, the type of exercise, and the level of physical condition in order to take advantage of its benefits and thus avoid the deleterious effects of pollution.…”

The Relationship of IL-8 and IL-10 Myokines and Performance in Male Marathon Runners Presenting Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction

“…Another limitation of this study is associated to the absence of assessments concerning to the pulmonary inflammatory condition of the volunteers both before and immediately after the race. In this way, it has been demonstrated that the evaluation of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a remarkable biomarker presenting increased levels in association with pulmonary inflammation, can be useful for monitoring pulmonary inflammatory status in different situations [54][55][56], including in the context of running [46,57]. Other points that deserve to be mentioned are related to the inclusion of only men in this study, the age of the participants, and also, to the environmental conditions present during the marathon event [58].…”