Immune mechanisms in physical activity and cancer

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Physical activity is important for reducing one's risk of colon cancer. The underlying biology about how physical activity protects against this cancer is not known. Understanding the basic biological mechanisms is necessary so that we can design the most effective exercise programs to lower the colon cancer risk for different groups of individuals (for example, seniors, people with a family history of cancer, etc.). This NSERC funded research focuses on immune cells, known as T lymphocytes, in the gastrointestinal tract (intestine and colon) of mice. The research asks whether long term moderate-intensity exercise training 1) prevents (or lessens) the death of immune cells in the bowel which kill cancer cells and 2) prevents (or lessens) the occurrence of inflammation in the bowel by increasing anti-oxidants in these immune cells. To test these hypotheses, female mice will have voluntary access to running wheels for many months or will be sedentary (no running wheels). At the end of the exercise training, immune cells (T lymphocytes) from the gastrointestinal tract of the mice will be removed and tested for anti-cancer functions, for the levels of anti-oxidant enzymes, and for viability. These studies will provide the first step to determine if physical activity increases the anti-tumour and anti-inflammatory functions of immune cells in the bowel.