The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 12 week exercise training on the immune system of kidney transplant recipients. 23 kidney transplant recipients were randomly divided into two groups including control (n = 10) and training (n =13) groups. The training groups participated in the training for 10 weeks (three days a week; each day 60-90 minutes). The control group performed no regular exercise during this time. The blood samples were taken before and after 12 weeks. ELISA and Real-time PCR were used to evaluate cytokine profiles, including TNF-a, IL-6, IL-4, IL-31 and IL-35 as well as T-bet, GATA-3, RORYt and FOXP3, respectively. Finally, the data were analyzed, using paired T-test. ELISA results showed decreased levels of TNF- α, increased levels of IL-6 and no significant differences in the IL-35, IL-31 and IL-4 levels in the training group in comparison to the control group. Gene expression profiles showed significantly increased expression of T-bet and no changes in the GATA-3, RORYt and FOXP3 levels. According to these results, a moderate exercise including aerobic and resistance training could inhibit inflammatory cytokines and have beneficial effects on the immune system, but this issue needs further research.
Keywords: Exercise training; immunological factors; renal transplantation.