Exercise-driven exacerbation of inflammation: contribution of animal models of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis.

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the observations of studies that have explored the effects of exercise on inflammation and tissue remodeling in animal models of inflammatory arthropathies including Rheumatoid Arthritis and Spondyloarthritis.

Methods: A search was performed at Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science databases from 2010 to 2021. The selected articles were classified into those who reported positive and negative effects of exercise, and the characteristics of their experimental designs, including the animal model, the study groups, the exercise intervention and the evaluation techniques, were detailed.

Results: Thirteen original articles that met the selection criteria were included. The effects of exercise on the joint biology of mice with inflammatory arthritis were controversial. Although exercise benefits have been observed in some experimental designs, the majority of them have shown that exercise leads to exacerbation of inflammation, tissue remodeling, and processes associated with arthritis such as oxidative stress and hypoxia.

Conclusion: Further research is necessary as the existing guidelines do not consider the negative effects of the exercise evidenced in animal models. The potential risks of exercise for patients should be considered.