Poster Presentation 16th Lorne Infection and Immunity 2026

Effects of exercise training on airway inflammation with and without rhinovirus infection (131993)

Arwel W Jones 1 , Jason Girkin 2 3 , Nathan E Bryant 2 3 , Liam Hambrook 2 3 , Georgia Daley 2 3 , Georgia Hannah 2 3 , Stanley MH Chan 4 , Ross Vlahos 4 , Anne E Holland 1 5 , Nathan W Bartlett 2 3
  1. Respiratory Research@Alfred, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  2. College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
  3. Infection Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
  4. Centre for Respiratory Science and Health (CRSH), RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
  5. Physiotherapy Department, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Introduction: Respiratory infections caused by rhinovirus exacerbate inflammatory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Exercise training is proposed to have anti-inflammatory effects that may limit infection-induced airway inflammation.

Aim: Our aim was to examine the effects of exercise training on airway inflammation in a rhinovirus infection model.

Methods: Sixteen-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were randomised to one of four experimental groups (n=6 per group): Control (no exercise) + UV-Inactivated Rhinovirus (C-UV); Exercise training + UV-Inactivated Rhinovirus (E-UV); Control + Rhinovirus (C-RV); Exercise training + Rhinovirus (E-RV). The exercise training groups completed sixty minutes of treadmill running at 50% maximal speed, five days per week, for a total of eight weeks. Controls remained in their cages (exposed to room air) in the treadmill room during exercise sessions. Minor group rhinovirus serotype-A1 (RV-A1) (2.5×106 median TCID50) or UV-Inactivated RV-A1 was administered intranasally 24 hours following exercise training or control. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were harvested and processed for inflammatory cells 24 hours later. Between-group differences were analysed by ANOVA with Benjamini-Hochberg correction for multiple comparisons.

Results: Our data reveal significant effects of exercise training on baseline airway inflammation but not during rhinovirus infection. Statistically significant differences between groups were observed for BAL neutrophils (cells/mL:p=0.001; %:p=0.002), lymphocytes (cells/mL:p=0.009) and macrophages (%:p=0.001). Mean absolute BAL neutrophil count in E-UV was 12-to-30-fold lower than C-UV (p=0.214), C-RV (p=0.006) and E-RV (p=0.004). Mean absolute BAL lymphocyte was 4-fold lower in E-UV than C-RV (p=0.001). Mean relative BAL neutrophil count in E-UV was lower than C-UV (-11.5%,p=0.086), C-RV (-23.5%,p=0.002) and E-RV (-29.0%,p<0.001). Mean relative BAL macrophage count in E-UV was greater than C-UV (13.3%,p=0.062), C-RV (26.4%,p=0.001) and E-RV (31.8%,p<0.001).

Conclusion: Exercise training favourably modifies airway inflammation, particularly neutrophil count, which may be an important mechanism in regulation of the immune system with ageing and inflammatory diseases.