Skeletal muscle represents the largest organ in the body, comprises 36-42% of body weight, and has recently been recognized as having an endocrine function. Proteins expressed and released by muscle that have autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine bioactivities have been termed myokines. It is likely that muscle contraction represents the primary stimulus for the synthesis and secretion of myokine...

Accumulating epidemiological data suggest that a physically active life plays an independent role in the protection against metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and dementia. For most of the last century, researchers sought a link between muscle contraction and humoral changes in the form of an 'exercise factor', which could be released from skeletal muscle durin...

Immoderate energy intake, a sedentary lifestyle, and aging have contributed to the increased prevalence of obesity, sarcopenia, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. There is an urgent need for the development of novel pharmacological interventions that can target excessive fat accumulation and decreased muscle mass and/or strength. Adipokines, bioactive molecules der...

Pedersen BK, Åkerström TC, Nielsen AR, Fischer CP. Role of myokines in exercise and metabolism. J Appl Physiol 103: 1093–1098, 2007. First published March 8, 2007; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00080.2007.—During the past 20 yr, it has been well documented that exercise has a profound effect on the immune system. With the discovery that exercise provokes an increase in a number of cytokines, a possi...

During the past 20 yr, it has been well documented that exercise has a profound effect on the immune system. With the discovery that exercise provokes an increase in a number of cytokines, a possible link between skeletal muscle contractile activity and immune changes was established. For most of the last century, researchers sought a link between muscle contraction and humoral changes in the f...

The aim of this study was to compare the levels of the plasma muscle-derived cytokines (myokines) and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) after muscle damage triggered by different exercises, and to demonstrate the relationships between RONS, thiol redox status and myokines. Sixteen young men participated in a 90-min run at 65% VO2max (Ex.1) or 90-min run at 65% VO2max finished with a 1...

Skeletal muscle stem cells, known as satellite cells, participate in postnatal skeletal muscle growth, regeneration, and hypertrophy. They are quiescent in the resting state, but are activated after muscle injury, and subsequently replicate and fuse into existing myofibers. The behavior of satellite cells during muscle regeneration is regulated by extrinsic factors, such as the extracellular ma...

OBJECTIVE Skeletal muscle is an important secretory organ, producing and releasing numerous myokines, which may be involved in mediating beneficial health effects of physical activity. More than 100 myokines have been identified by different proteomics approaches, but these techniques may not detect all myokines. We used mRNA sequencing as an untargeted approach to study gene expression of secr...

This review summarizes the current literature regarding the most discussed contraction-regulated moykines like IL-6, IL-15, irisin, BDNF, ANGPTL4, FGF21, myonectin and MCP-1. It is suggested that the term myokine is restricted to proteins secreted from skeletal muscle cells, excluding proteins that are secreted by other cell types in skeletal muscle tissue and excluding proteins which are only ...

Dear Editor, Acupuncture is a traditional strategy for the treatment of various diseases and pathological disorders. Recently, we read with great interest the excellent review by Martinez and Peplow, in which the authors demonstrated that acupuncture has the potential to improve insulin resistance and provide physiological benefits in diabetes mellitus (DM). We appreciate and totally agree with...