The health benefits of exercise are well recognized and seen across multiple organ systems. These beneficial effects improve overall resilience, health and longevity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of exercise remain poorly understood. Since the discovery in 2000 that muscle contraction releases IL-6, the number of signaling molecules associated with exercise that have been identified has multiplied.
Exerchins are defined as signaling fractions released in response to acute and/or chronic exercise, which exert their effects through endocrine, paracrine and/or autocrine pathways. A multitude of organs, cells, and tissues release these factors, including skeletal muscle (myokines), heart (cardiokines), liver (hepatokines), white adipose tissue (adipokines), brown adipose tissue (baptokines), and neurons (neurokines). ).
Exerchins have potential roles in improving cardiovascular, metabolic, immunological and neurological health.
As such, exerchins have potential for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity, and possibly to facilitate healthy aging. This review summarizes the importance and current status of exerkine research, prevailing challenges, and future directions.
Key points
- Although the benefits of exercise in improving health and treating disease are well known, the molecular mechanisms underlying the benefits associated with exercise remain poorly defined and are actively being investigated.
- ’Exerchins’ encompass a wide variety of signaling fractions released in response to acute and/or chronic exercise that exert their effects through endocrine, paracrine and/or autocrine pathways.
- Exerchins can occur in many forms, such as hormones, metabolites, proteins, and nucleic acids; There is increasing interest in going beyond singular changes in specific factors to profile alterations using ’omic’ platforms.
- There is growing interest in the role of extracellular vesicles, which are membranous structures released from cells, that serve as important carriers of molecular signals and conductors of exercise-related interorgan crosstalk.
- Multiple organ systems, including the cardiometabolic system, nervous system, and immune system, produce exerchins and are influenced by exerchins, likely contributing to the pleiotropic and variable response to exercise.
- Emerging research on exerchins suggests multiple promising avenues for translational research and therapeutic modulation to capture the benefits associated with exercise; Greater rigor in the experimental design will facilitate comparison between studies.
Irrefutable evidence supports the importance of physical activity, exercise, and cardiorespiratory fitness in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cognitive decline, and many types of cancer, by while improving the immune system, health, longevity and health. resilience 1 (Fig. 1).
Organs and tissues that can serve as a source of exerchins and that are directly affected by exercise. Exercise produces profound health benefits, including reductions in the presence or severity of certain diseases, as well as increases in health span, longevity, and resilience. DM2, type 2 diabetes mellitus.
On the contrary, physical inactivity represents a significant threat to public health, as it is associated with increased mortality 2 and a notable economic burden. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic clearly reinforces the relevance of physical activity for health, due to the effects of COVID-19-related reductions in physical activity and increases in sedentary behavior, especially due to COVID-related quarantine. -19. Additionally, physical inactivity is associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Although the terms "exercise" and "physical activity" are often used interchangeably, exercise is often considered intentional physical activity, such as aerobic training, resistance training, or high-intensity interval training. On the contrary, physical activity encompasses both exercise and regular work and/or domestic activity.
Promoting physical activity remains a critical intervention to reduce the incidence and prevalence of common metabolic diseases. In the US, official guidelines for physical activity were first published in 1995 and recommended that all US adults accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the year. the week, preferably all of them.
These guidelines have subsequently evolved. In 2020, the World Health Organization stated that all adults should aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week or a combination equivalent of moderate and intense intensity physical activity per week.
Despite these recommendations, objective data from physical activity accelerometers in the US population indicated poor adherence to recommended guidelines, with only 5% of US adults engaging in more than 30 minutes of physical activity. moderate intensity per day.
Influence of exercise exposure
Exerchins are secreted in response to acute exercise, which is usually a single episode of aerobic or resistance exercise. Chronic exercise is also associated with altered humoral factors, even in the resting state, suggesting that exerkine alterations may reflect the effects of chronic training.
Conclusions
Although exercise exerts many beneficial effects on multiple organ systems, our understanding of the mechanisms that drive the benefits of exercise and the variability of these benefits remains rudimentary.
Much of the initial research on exerchin has focused on skeletal muscle; However, contemporary research is now rapidly expanding to include non-skeletal muscle-based sources and targets for exerchins that contribute to maintaining and restoring health.
Exerchins are increasingly recognized as critical mediators of exercise-related changes and health benefits, particularly in their role in interorgan and systemic communication and coordination.
However, much remains to be done. To improve translation of results, heterogeneity between studies should be minimized by reducing exposure variability and using standardized, consistent outcome measures. Large-scale structured studies will be key resources to provide a structured environment to address future exerchin-related questions.
In summary , exerchins are a very promising direction for future research initiatives, with high potential as biomarkers to predict outcomes, facilitate personalized exercise programs to improve health, reduce disease and promote resilience across the lifespan.
