Arm crank ergometer exercise at 60% of maximum oxygen consumption increases IL-6 in persons with spinal cord injuries

 

Yasunori Umemoto, Takashi Kawasaki, Nami Kanno, Masaki Goto, Tomoyuki Ito, Ken Kouda, Tomoya Shimomatsu, Motohiko Banno, Yusuke Sasaki, and Fumihiro Tajima

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Wakayama Medical University

 

Pederson BK demonstrated that leg exercise induced IL-6 activation from contracting muscle in able-bodied persons (AB). To confirm the activation of IL-6 during arm exercise in persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI), we examined responses of plasma IL-6 concentration during 2-h arm ergometer cranking at 60% of maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) in 6 SCI and 7 AB. Plasma concentrations of IL-6, CRP and myoglobin were measured before, during, immediately and 2h after the exercise.  Plasma IL-6 in AB and SCI showed significant (P < 0.05) increases at 60 min of exercise and immediately after and 2h after the exercise compared with the pre-exercise.  The magnitude of IL-6 increases in AB was similar to SCI throughout the experiment.  The exercise remained constant CRP in SCI and AB, however CRP in SCI was much higher than AB (P < 0.05). Myoglobin in SCI and AB significantly increased (P < 0.05) immediately and 2h after the exercise and the magnitude of changes was identical each other throughout the experiment, which assumed similar muscle stress induced by the exercise. These findings suggested that SCI had basically inframetely state and arm crank exercise induced identical IL-6 response in SCI and AB.

 

Key words: IL-6, spinal cord injuries, exercise