Differential Effects of Low- And Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Interleukin-17 In Moderate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Aim: Aerobic treadmill activities were tested for their impact on interleukin-17 (IL-17) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.
Methods: Three equal groups of sixty male and female patients diagnosed with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (aged 40-60 years) were randomly allocated. Twenty participants were divided into three groups: A, which received conventional chest physiotherapy for 8 weeks in addition to low-intensity treadmill aerobic exercise at 40-50% HRR twice weekly, B, which received moderate-intensity treadmill exercise at 50-70% HRR twice weekly, and C, which served as a control group, received only conventional chest physiotherapy for 8 weeks. Functional exercise capacity, dyspnea severity, and serum IL-17 levels were evaluated both before and after the intervention using the Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay (ELESA).
Results: At the outset, the demographic characteristics and IL-17 levels of all groups were comparable (P>0.05). Based on the results of the within-group analysis, it was found that both Group A and Group B had a significant decrease in IL-17 levels, with Group A seeing a 23.40% improvement (P=0.0001) and Group B seeing a 4.94% improvement (P=0.0001). Unlike Group B, which showed a 4.44% improvement (47.55±4.99 to 45.44±9.86 pg/mL; P=0.188), Group C showed no significant change. Although Groups B and C did not vary statistically (P=1.000), Group A had significantly lower IL-17 levels after treatment compared to Groups B and C (P=0.001).
Conclusion: Compared to moderate-intensity exercise, aerobic treadmill exercise reduced blood IL-17 levels in COPD patients more effectively, suggesting that this form of exercise could be a non-pharmacological approach to managing systemic inflammation in COPD.