Transcriptomic analyses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells reveal age-specific basal and acute exercise responsiveness differences in humans

This study demonstrates that aging alters the transcriptional landscape of PBMCs at rest and in response to acute high-intensity exercise. Older adults exhibited greater transcriptomic responsiveness to exercise, particularly in pathways related to immune signaling and cellular stress. Notably, exercise elicited shared activation of NK cell-mediated processes across age groups, suggesting a conserved immunomodulatory effect. These findings provide molecular insight into how aging and exercise interact to shape immune cell function.