Supplementation with Ziziphus Jujuba Suppresses Apoptosis Signals in Neutrophils after Acute Exercise

It is suggested that jujube might benefit exercise-induced immune fluctuations, specifically on neutrophils’ apoptosis regulation, but its cellular mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of one-week supplementation with Ziziphus jujuba on proand anti-apoptotic protein levels of neutrophils in response to a session of circuit resistance exercise. Fourteen young, healthy male students completed a session of circuit resistance exercise (75% 1RM, nine exercises, three sets) in two groups (n=7). While one group received a placebo, the other group was supplemented with jujube (0.5 g/kg body weight suspended in 2.5 cc distilled water) started a weekday before the exercise session. Blood samples were collected 30 minutes before, immediately, and two hours after the exercise. Neutrophils were collected and pro(Calpain-1, Bax, Caspase-3) and anti-apoptotic (Calpastatin, XIAP) proteins measured with ELISA. Intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) was assessed using the Atomic Absorption/ Flame Emission method. Repeated-Measures ANOVA was used for the interaction effects of TIME×GROUP (3×2) at the significance level (p) of 0.05. The SPSS software was used for analyses. Levels of ([Ca2+]i), expression of calpain-, and caspase-3 were increased in response to circuit resistance exercise (p<0.05). In contrast, supplementation with jujube suppressed these changes (p<0.01). The data indicate that a single session of intensive circuit resistance exercise elevated apoptosis signalling in human neutrophils with the involvement of [Ca2+]i-Calpastatin-Calpain axis upstream caspase-3. Supplementation with the jujube solution attenuated cell death signalling, possibly by providing energy for neutrophils. Otherwise, the improvement of the antioxidant status might be protective against ROS-induced apoptosis during exercise.