Obesity is a chronic low-grade inflammatory condition, and β2-adrenergic agonists as well as exercise have been proposed as anti-inflammatory strategies in obesity, so it is critical to accurately determine the effects of β2-adrenergic stimulation, especially when combined with other non-pharmacological therapies. The aim of this investigation was to determine the effect of β2-adrenergic activation on the inflammatory profile and phenotype of macrophages, and whether these effects could be affected by obesity and exercise in this condition. High-fat diet-induced obese and lean C57BL/6J mice were allocated to sedentary or exercised groups. The inflammatory profiles and phenotypes of their peritoneal macrophages were assessed by flow cytometry in the presence or absence of the selective β2-adrenergic receptor agonist terbutaline. β2-adrenergic activation caused global phenotypic anti-inflammatory effects in lean and obese sedentary mice, which were more drastic (also including anti-inflammatory effects on the cytokine profile) in obese animals. In exercised lean and obese animals, this anti-inflammatory effect is weaker and only evident by decreased iNOS and IL-8 expression, without changes in the anti-inflammatory markers. Therefore, β2-adrenergic activation leads to anti-inflammatory effects, but these effects are modulated by obesity in sedentary conditions, as well as by regular exercise; but not by obesity in trained conditions.
Keywords: M1 and M2 macrophages; cytokines; inflammation; obesity; regular exercise; terbutaline.