Cited by 500Metabolism, Diabetes, and CancerAdipose Tissue and MetabolismDiabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins

Role of Skeletal Muscle in Insulin Resistance and Glucose Uptake

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Merz, Karla E., Thurmond, Debbie C.·2020·Comprehensive Physiology

Abstract

The skeletal muscle is the largest organ in the body, by mass. It is also the regulator of glucose homeostasis, responsible for 80% of postprandial glucose uptake from the circulation. Skeletal muscle is essential for metabolism, both for its role in glucose uptake and its importance in exercise and metabolic disease. In this article, we give an overview of the importance of skeletal muscle in metabolism, describing its role in glucose uptake and the diseases that are associated with skeletal muscle metabolic dysregulation. We focus on the role of skeletal muscle in peripheral insulin resistance and the potential for skeletal muscle-targeted therapeutics to combat insulin resistance and diabetes, as well as other metabolic diseases like aging and obesity. In particular, we outline the possibilities and pitfalls of the quest for exercise mimetics, which are intended to target the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of exercise on metabolic disease. We also provide a description of the molecular mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle glucose uptake, including a focus on the SNARE proteins, which are essential regulators of glucose transport into the skeletal muscle. © 2020 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 10:785-809, 2020.

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Crossref · 10.1002/cphy.c190029

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  • Physical exercise and activity can induce the secretion of myokines with anti-inflammatory effects, mediated through the effects of IL-6 and Tumour Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α).

    “Physical exercise and activity can induce the secretion of myokines with anti-inflammatory effects [17,42], mediated through the effects of IL-6 and Tumour Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α) [17].”

    From Optimised Skeletal Muscle Mass as a Key Strategy for Obesity Management (2025) · cites this paper as [17]

    The “Mechanisms of myokine action” section (page not available) says exercise can induce myokine secretion and that exercise-induced IL-6 can have anti-inflammatory effects. It does not describe TNF-α as mediating those effects; instead, it associates TNF activity with pro-inflammatory signaling and the onset of insulin resistance. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • This process is an important contributor to the enhanced risk for the development of T2D (and other metabolic dysfunction) in older age, which in turn is driven by aging-associated acceleration of IR within the SM.

    “This process is an important contributor to the enhanced risk for the development of T2D (and other metabolic dysfunction) in older age, which in turn is driven by aging-associated acceleration of IR within the SM [17].”

    From Optimised Skeletal Muscle Mass as a Key Strategy for Obesity Management (2025) · cites this paper as [17]

    The sections “Links between aging and skeletal muscle insulin resistance” and “Importance of skeletal muscle in insulin resistance” link aging, muscle dysfunction, insulin resistance, and T2D risk (page numbers unavailable). The copy does not establish that insulin resistance in skeletal muscle accelerates with age or that this acceleration drives the increased risk of T2D and other metabolic dysfunction. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • There is an aging-related decline in SM-mediated metabolic function that manifests with a diminishment of mitochondrial function and capacity for thermogenic energy expenditure.

    “Furthermore, there is also an aging-related decline in SM-mediated metabolic function that manifests with a diminishment of mitochondrial function and capacity for thermogenic energy expenditure [17,33].”

    From Optimised Skeletal Muscle Mass as a Key Strategy for Obesity Management (2025) · cites this paper as [17]

    The section “Links between aging and skeletal muscle insulin resistance” states that aging of human skeletal muscle involves a gradual decline in mitochondrial function and muscle mass. It does not establish an aging-related decline in the capacity for thermogenic energy expenditure; the thermogenesis mention found is in a reference title, not a finding the paper reports about aging. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The development of SO can be viewed as a toxic feedback loop in which obesity and IMCL worsen IR and beget sarcopenia, and sarcopenia further worsens IR and contributes towards worsening obesity and progression of IMCL.

    “The development of SO can therefore be viewed as a toxic feedback loop in which obesity and IMCL worsen IR and beget sarcopenia, and sarcopenia further worsens IR and contributes towards worsening obesity and progression of IMCL [17].”

    From Optimised Skeletal Muscle Mass as a Key Strategy for Obesity Management (2025) · cites this paper as [17]

    The “Combined effects of aging and obesity on insulin resistance” section (page unavailable) describes sarcopenic obesity as a toxic feedback loop in which increased fat mass and decreased muscle mass exacerbate one another, with insulin resistance at their juncture. The “Links between obesity/inflammation and skeletal muscle insulin resistance” section also says obesity increases the risk of insulin resistance. The cited paper does not establish the claimed progression of intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) in either direction, or the full sequence in which insulin resistance causes sarcopenia. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Irisin is stimulated by PGC1α, and mediates beneficial metabolic effects through the beiging of white AT, thereby activating UCP1 and inducing enhanced thermogenesis within the white AT.

    “Irisin is stimulated by ‘Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-Gamma Coactivator 1α’ (PGC1α), and mediates beneficial metabolic effects through the beiging of white AT [17,49], thereby activating UCP1 and inducing enhanced thermogenesis within the white AT.”

    From Optimised Skeletal Muscle Mass as a Key Strategy for Obesity Management (2025) · cites this paper as [17]

    In “Mechanisms of myokine action,” the paper says PGC1α stimulates irisin expression and that irisin is thought to promote white-adipose beiging, which activates UCP1. The claim is more definite than the paper: it says irisin mediates these effects and induces enhanced thermogenesis within white adipose tissue, whereas the passage explicitly associates increased thermogenesis with brown adipose tissue. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Merz, K. E., & Thurmond, D. C.
Affiliations
City Of Hope National Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Thurmond, Debbie C.
Venue
Comprehensive Physiology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2020-07-08
Volume
10
Issue
3
Pages
785-809
ISSN
2040-4603 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3048198206
Cited by
494
References
365
Citations by year
2026: 54 · 2025: 105 · 2024: 166 · 2023: 107 · 2022: 51 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 1
Type
other
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Comprehensive physiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5r01dk102233-08, DK067912, DK102233)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01-DK-102233, R01DK112917, R01DK067912, R01DK134652)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Metabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins
Keywords
skeletal muscle, insulin resistance, glucose uptake, glucose homeostasis, exercise mimetics, SNARE proteins, glucose transport, diabetes mellitus, obesity, aging, metabolic disorders
MeSH terms
Animals, Biological Transport, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Glucose, Homeostasis, Humans, Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Diseases, Signal Transduction, Muscle, Skeletal

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