Exercise-induced Downregulation of Serum Interleukin-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha in Egyptian Handball Players

Muscles of candidates work at various grades of intensity during handball exercises according to the pace of exercise. The movement pattern involves large number of contractions, feints, dodges and numerous changes in movements, all of which are highly responsible for changes in trainer's organs, including the immune system. In this study, inflammatory mediators involving interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in serum of 18 Egyptian male handball players, selected from Tanta club handball under 21 year's old team, were analyzed. The analysis was established on samples collected just before and immediately after intermediate reasonable exercise via enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, white blood cells (WBCs) count and other hematological markers including hemoglobin %, hematocrit value, and platelet count were assessed. Our results demonstrated a significant decrease in the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α after exercise compared to those before exercise. This was coupled with an increase in WBCs and platelets count. It is also noteworthy that there was a significant positive correlation between serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the study subjects coupled with a significant negative correlation between IL-6 and WBCs after the exercise. Therefore, it is concluded that intermediate reasonable exercises result in decreased levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, which result in decreasing of the inflammation and help in healing and rapid recovery of muscles of the candidates.