Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Journal of Eexercise & Organ Cross Talk

Effect of aerobic exercise on the expression of inflammation-related genes TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 in overweight individuals

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Safa Radmehr 1
Rana Riyadh Al-ani 2
Salam Abbas Oleiwi Rfeash 3
Shahlaa Ali Hassan 4
Mohamed Nabil Mohamed Ibrahim Salem 4

1 Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology,TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Medical Laboratory Technologies College of Health and Medical Technology Al-Maqaal University, Basrah, Iraq

3 Alfurat Al-Awsat Technical University Kufa Technical Institute

4 Department of Medical Radiation Techniques, College of Health and Medical Techniques, Al-Maaqal University, Basra 61003, Iraq

https://doi.org/10.22122/jeoct.2025.561902.1181
Abstract
Aerobic exercise has been proposed as a non-pharmacological intervention to modulate inflammatory gene expression, yet the molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study investigated the effects of a 12-week moderate-intensity aerobic exercise intervention on the mRNA expression levels of inflammation-related genes (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of overweight individuals. Forty-five overweight adults (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m²) were randomly assigned to either an aerobic exercise group (n=30) or a sedentary control group (n=15). The exercise protocol consisted of supervised moderate-intensity aerobic training (60-75% HRmax) for 45-60 minutes, 5 days per week for 12 weeks. Blood samples were collected pre- and post- intervention for gene expression analysis using quantitative real-time PCR and protein quantification via ELISA. Following the 12-week intervention, the exercise group demonstrated significant reductions in TNF-α mRNA expression (−52.3%, p<0.001) and IL-6 expression (−47.8%, p<0.001) compared to baseline. Conversely, IL-10 expression increased significantly (+68.4%, p<0.001). Plasma protein concentrations paralleled these changes, with TNF-α decreasing from 8.6±2.1 to 4.9±1.3 pg/mL (p<0.001), IL-6 from 5.8±1.7 to 3.2±0.9 pg/mL (p<0.001), and IL-10 increasing from 3.1±0.8 to 5.6±1.2 pg/mL (p<0.001). Body mass index decreased significantly in the exercise group (−2.3 kg/m², p<0.001) with concurrent improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂max increased by 18.7%, p<0.001). Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise effectively modulates the inflammatory gene expression profile in overweight individuals by downregulating pro-inflammatory genes (TNF-α and IL-6) and upregulating the anti- inflammatory gene (IL-10). These molecular adaptations may contribute to reduced inflammation and improved metabolic health in this population.

What is already known on this subject?

Overweight and obesity represent a growing global health crisis, affecting approximately 39% of adults worldwide and contributing significantly to the burden of non-communicable diseases.

 

What this study adds?

Our findings provide strong molecular evidence supporting aerobic exercise as a potent non-pharmacological intervention for managing chronic low-grade inflammation associated with overweight conditions.

Keywords

Aerobic exercise
Gene expression
Inflammation
TNF-&alpha
IL-6
IL-10
Overweight

Subjects

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the participant for their time and effort during the tests.

Funding

This work is based upon research funded by Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) under project No.4027513.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest in the present research.

Ethical approval All procedures involving human participants were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments.

Informed consent All participants were fully informed about the study objectives, procedures, potential risks, and benefits. 

Author contributions 

Conceptualization: R.R.A., Methodology: S.A.O.R., Software: Sh.A.H., Validation: M.N.MIS.,; Formal analysis: S.R.,; Investigation: S.R.,; Resources: S.R.,; Data curation: S.R.,; Writing - original draft: S.R.,; Writing–review & editing S.R., R.R.A.,; Visualization: S.R.,; Supervision: S.R.; Project administration: S.R,.; Funding acquisition: S.R.    

 

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Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Volume 5, Issue 4
Autumn 2025
Pages 180-197

  • Receive Date 24 October 2025
  • Revise Date 26 November 2025
  • Accept Date 29 November 2025

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