Time Depended Changes οf White Blood Cells After Intense Eccentric Exercise

Abstract

It is known that eccentric exercise cause muscle damage and significant changes to immune system. These effects depend on the characteristics of the exercise. The aim of the current study was to estimate the changes to the number of the white blood cells after a bout of eccentric exercise. Twenty healthy males, no athletes, participated in the study. They take part to exercise condition and to control condition with a rest period of one month. The exercise protocol concludes 300 muscle contractions of the quadriceps. Blood samples were taken before the exercise, immediately after, 2 hours after and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 days after the exercise. Determine the number of white blood cells and the subsets of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eoshinophils and basophils. The analysis of data indicate significant increases in total white blood cells until 3 days after exercise (p<.001). Similar changes observed at neutrophils at first 6 samples (p<.001) (3 days after exercise). Monocytes number increased at the sample of 2 hours (p<.05) whereas eoshinophils decreased 2 hours after exercise (p<.05). Basophils number didn’t change significantly (p>.05). The results indicate that a bout of eccentric exercise induced
leukocytosis as a result of the increase number of neutrophils.