Beneficial health effects of exercise – the role of IL-6 as a myokine
Abstract
It is not clear how contracting skeletal muscles mediate the numerous and diverse metabolic and physiological effects that are beneficial for health. Researchers have searched for a muscle-contraction-induced factor - an 'exercise factor' - that mediates some of the exercise effects in other tissues such as the liver and adipose tissue. In our search for such a factor, we encountered the cytokine interleukin (IL)-6, which is produced by contracting muscles and released into the blood. We propose that muscle-derived IL-6 meets the criteria of an exercise factor and that such classes of cytokine should be named 'myokines'. The discovery of contracting muscle as a cytokine-producing organ creates a new paradigm: skeletal muscle as an endocrine organ. By contracting, it stimulates the production and release of myokines that can influence metabolism in tissue and organs. Newly identified myokines and their receptors could serve as targets in the treatment of metabolic disorders and other diseases.
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IL-15 is the main agent in crosstalk between skeletal muscle tissue and adipose tissue.
“Studies indicate that this cytokine is the main agent in crosstalk between SkM tissue and AT (Pedersen et al., 2007).”
From Physical Exercise-Induced Myokines and Muscle-Adipose Tissue Crosstalk: A Review of Current Knowledge and the Implications for Health and Metabolic Diseases (2018) · cites this paper as Pedersen et al., 2007
WAT and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (especially lymphocytes) may be the main source of these cytokines in disease conditions.
“In these disease conditions, the origin of this systemic alteration is not well characterized, however, it has been proposed that WAT and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (especially lymphocytes) may be the main source of these cytokines (Steensberg et al., 2003; Fischer, 2006; Pedersen and Fischer, 2007).”
From Physical Exercise-Induced Myokines and Muscle-Adipose Tissue Crosstalk: A Review of Current Knowledge and the Implications for Health and Metabolic Diseases (2018) · cites this paper as Pedersen and Fischer, 2007
Performing acute aerobic exercise is an important mediator of systemic anti-inflammatory response.
“In recent years, several well-designed studies have demonstrated that performing acute aerobic exercise is an important mediator of systemic anti-inflammatory response (Petersen and Pedersen, 2005; Pedersen and Fischer, 2007; Pedersen et al., 2007).”
From Physical Exercise-Induced Myokines and Muscle-Adipose Tissue Crosstalk: A Review of Current Knowledge and the Implications for Health and Metabolic Diseases (2018) · cites this paper as Pedersen and Fischer, 2007
Performing acute aerobic exercise is an important mediator of systemic anti-inflammatory response.
“In recent years, several well-designed studies have demonstrated that performing acute aerobic exercise is an important mediator of systemic anti-inflammatory response (Petersen and Pedersen, 2005; Pedersen and Fischer, 2007; Pedersen et al., 2007).”
From Physical Exercise-Induced Myokines and Muscle-Adipose Tissue Crosstalk: A Review of Current Knowledge and the Implications for Health and Metabolic Diseases (2018) · cites this paper as Pedersen et al., 2007
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References 44 · Cited by 371
- Authors
- Pedersen, B. K., & Fischer, C. P.
- Affiliations
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Pedersen, Bente K.
- Venue
- Trends in Pharmacological Sciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2007-04
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 152-156
- ISSN
- 0165-6147 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2103361158
- Cited by
- 371
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 1.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Pharmacological Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Exercise and Physiological Responses
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Muscle Physiology and Disorders
- Keywords
- interleukin-6, myokines, physical activity, skeletal muscle, cytokines, metabolic disorders
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Humans, Muscle Contraction, Exercise, Interleukin-6, Muscle, Skeletal
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