Abstract
Background and aims: Serum polyclonal free light chains (FLCs) levels are associated with overall survival in the general population, reflecting their utility as a biomarker of underlying immune activation and inflammation. Regular exercise is known to ameliorate low-grade inflammation in chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes; however, the effects of different exercise training modalities on FLCs in adults with type 2 diabetes is unknown. This study investigated the effects of 9-month of aerobic, resistance or combined supervised exercise on serum FLCs in 164 patients with type 2 diabetes (age 58 ± 8 years; 63% female). Methods: 164 participants from the Health Benefits of Aerobic and Resistance Training in individuals with type 2 diabetes trial (HART-D) were randomly assigned to no exercise (n = 27), aerobic exercise alone (n = 41), resistance exercise alone (n = 49), or a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise (n = 47). Fasting serum samples were collected before and after completion of the intervention to quantify changes in kappa and lambda FLCs, and serum creatinine, using commercially-available ELISAs. Results: At baseline, combined kappa and lambda FLCs (FLC sum; calculated as kappa + lambda FLCs) were positively correlated with high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (r = 0.237, p < 0.05) and fat mass (r = 0.162, p < 0.05), and negatively associated with aerobic fitness (r = −0.238, p < 0.05). While non-exercise controls exhibited an increase in FLCs over the 9-month study, exercise training blunted this increase (Δ FLC sum control arm: 3.25 ± 5.07 mg∙L -1 vs. all exercise arms: -0.252 ± 6.60 mg∙L -1, p < 0.05), regardless of exercise modality. Conclusion: Serum FLCs were associated with physical fitness and body composition in patients with type 2 diabetes. 9-month of exercise training prevented the accumulation of FLCs, regardless of exercise modality. Unlike hs-CRP—which did not change during the trial—serum FLCs may serve as a more sensitive biomarker of chronic low-grade inflammation in this population.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1328470 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Physiology |
| Volume | 15 |
| Early online date | 25 Apr 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 25 Apr 2024 |
Data Availability Statement
The raw data supporting the conclusion of this article will bemade available by the authors, without undue reservation.
Funding
The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was partially funded by a grant from the NIH to TC (DK-068298 - Clinical trial reg. no. NCT00458133), and from NASA (NNX17AB16G) and LSU CHSE Internationalization grant to GS.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health | NCT00458133, DK-068298 |
| National Institutes of Health | |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | NNX17AB16G |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
Keywords
- 9-month intervention
- exercise training
- free light chains
- inflammation
- type 2 diabetes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology (medical)
- Physiology
