{
  "abstract": "Background: Ageing impairs T cell function and responses to vaccines and infections. Effective T cell function requires rapid metabolic switching towards glycolysis, which becomes dysregulated with age. We have shown that physically active older adults have T cells that are more functional and metabolically fit. As exercise acutely elevates adrenaline and mobilises T cells via β2-adrenergic receptors (β2-AR), we hypothesise that habitual physical activity (PA) preserves β2-AR-mediated metabolic stimulation in T cells from older adults.\n\nMethods: Older adults (≥65 years) with habitually high PA (HPA, n = 6) or habitually moderate PA (MPA, n = 6) were compared with young controls (18–35 years, n = 6). T cells were exposed to the β-agonist isoproterenol for 30 min to mimic acute exercise-like adrenergic stimulation, with or without the β2-AR blocker ICI-118,551. Following 1 h of rest, T cells were stimulated for 4 h in vitro with PMA and ionomycin. T cell activation (CD69), glucose transporter-1 (Glut1), intracellular cAMP concentrations under isoproterenol stimulation, and β2-AR mRNA expression were assessed.\n\nResults: Older adults exhibited impaired CD8+ T cell activation and β2-AR blockade inhibited activation in all groups. Glut1 expression in CD8+ T cells was higher in older MPA than young, but did not differ from older HPA. In CD8+ T cells that were not stimulated with PMA and ionomycin, β2-AR blockade (with β-AR stimulation) increased Glut1 expression in all groups compared with β-AR stimulation alone, and this increase was greater in older HPA than MPA (p = 0.043). No group differences were observed in β2-AR mRNA expression or isoproterenol-induced β-AR cAMP responsiveness.\n\nConclusion: These exploratory findings indicate that individuals with higher levels of habitual PA have lower age-associated impairments in CD8+ T cell activation and metabolic switching in response to β stimulation. Interestingly, β2-AR blockade did not fully abrogate β stimulation, therefore future studies should investigate a potential influence of β1-AR in this modulation, to generate definitive conclusions.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham , ,",
    "Laboratory of Exercise Physiology (FISEX), University of Campinas , ,",
    "Department of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Sciences, University of North Carolina Greensboro , , ,",
    "Department of Metabolism and Systems Science, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health , ,",
    "National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Biomedical Research Centre , ,"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Amanda V. Sardeli"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ana Ramkrapes"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jakob Boyes-Jensen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jon Hazeldine"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Helena Batatinha"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Niharika A. Duggal"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Davide Calebiro"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "James E. Turner"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dvj18ben5wxar.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fragi.2026.1869552",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727592/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "dvj18ben5wxar",
  "issns": [
    "2673-6217"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727592",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2403|T-cell and B-cell Immunology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223070684",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727592/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13727592",
  "pmid": "42978825",
  "published": "2026-10-20",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dvj18ben5wxar.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T15:20:46Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13727592",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727592"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T12:23:26Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13727592",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fragi.2026.1869552"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2403|T-cell and B-cell Immunology",
      "subfield": "immunology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Impact of habitual physical activity and age on T cell metabolism and activation via β2-adrenergic receptor modulation",
  "title_text": "Impact of habitual physical activity and age on T cell metabolism and activation via β2-adrenergic receptor modulation",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:20:45Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dvj18ben5wxar",
  "venue": "Frontiers in aging",
  "versions": []
}