Effect of aerobic exercise combined with anti-PD-L1 antibody injection on body weight and heart weight of breast cancer-bearing mice: Management in cancer cachexia

Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, with breast cancer posing a high risk for women. Immunotherapy has shown efficacy, and exercise is recognized for its role in cancer management. Combining both may enhance therapeutic outcomes. This study examined 30 female BALB/c mice (average weight: 17.76g), divided into five groups (n=6 each). After treadmill acclimation, they underwent two 6-week training protocols and a 4-week protocol post-cancer induction. Data analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA. The findings revealed significant differences in body weight among the EIEA and EIA groups compared to the control group. Similarly, in the heart weight analysis, both EIEA and EIA groups showed significant differences compared to the control (p<0.05). Notably, the combination of exercise and anti-PD-L1 antibody treatment effectively prevented weight loss in both body mass and heart weight. This protective effect may be attributed to the mitigation of cachexia, a common complication in cancer that leads to severe weight loss and muscle wasting. These results suggest that integrating physical activity with immunotherapy could serve as a potential strategy to counteract cancer-induced weight deterioration.