Aging Delays and Exercise Accelerates Wound Healing and Decreases Inflammation in Old Mice

This study's purpose was to determine the effect of exercise on wound healing and inflammation in young (three months) and old (18-months) female Balb/cByJ mice. Mice were assigned to either exercise (EX) or sedentary control (CON) group. EX mice were run on a motorized treadmill at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes/day for eight days, three days before wounding, and five days afterwards. Mice were given four full thickness dermal wounds using a 3.5mm punch biopsy instrument and wounds were photographed for 10 days. After the old mice fully healed (approximately 3 months), they were wounded again in different locations and wounds with surrounding tissue were harvested at one, three, or five days after wounding. Harvested wound tissue was analyzed with the Bio-Plex(TM) cytokine assay for interleukin-1 (IL-1beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6), keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). No significant differences in wound size were found as a result of exercise in young mice. However, exercise significantly decreased wound size in old mice when compared to sedentary control mice (F(1,38) = 6.33, p = .016). Levels of some proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in wound tissue of exercised mice were significantly lower than control mice, including TNF-alpha, KC, and MCP-1. No group differences were found in IL-1beta or IL-6. These data suggest that exercise accelerates the wound healing process in old mice, which is delayed, but not young mice, which display quick healing. In addition, moderate exercise-associated decreases in levels of some inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in wound tissue were associated with faster healing.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology and Community Health

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Keylock, Kerry Todd

Contributors dc:contributor

• Jeff Woods

• Health Sciences, Recreation

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3269939

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/86383