Myokines Mediate the Effects of Exercise on Health

Mapping mammalian biochemistry is a sizable task, and much of that biochemistry remains poorly understood and categorized. Cell signaling is a vast topic in and of itself. Here researchers discuss myokines, signal molecules generated by muscle cells as a result of exercise. These diverse signals are influential on tissue function and health, and mediate some fraction of the benefits resulting from physical activity. Further, some clearly change in abundance with age, and might therefore be useful targets for interventions intended to better maintain health and function with aging. In recent decades, it has been discovered that contracting skeletal muscles release various hormone-like substances. These activators are called myokines, which are small proteins and proteoglycan peptides that are produced and secreted by skeletal muscle cells in response to muscle contractions. Various myokines secreted by skeletal muscles during aerobic and anaerobic exercises have been studied in connection with various human diseases. For a long time, skeletal muscles were only recognized as being involved in the physical aspects of exercise. However, with the discovery of exercise-induced myokines, skeletal muscles have been demonstrated to be involved in the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis. Although the detailed mechanisms are not clear, both skeletal muscle contraction and mass maintenance appear to be actively involved in maintaining health and preventing disease development i...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs