Exerkines: Bioactive molecules secreted by exercise
📖 Literature Information and Abstract Translation
Exercise and exerkines: Mechanisms and roles in anti-aging and disease prevention
📕Lu, Xuan, et al. "Exercise and exerkines: Mechanisms and roles in anti-aging and disease prevention." Experimental Gerontology 200 (2025): 112685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2025.112685
🔗 DOI, PubMed, Google Scholar 🎵Podcast >>> NotebookLM
✅ Prerequisite knowledge: What are exerkines?
・Exerkines are a collective term for bioactive molecules induced by exercise and secreted primarily from various organs and tissues, including skeletal muscle. The term is a portmanteau of "exercise" and "-kine" (secretory factor), first proposed by Canadian researcher Mark Tarnopolsky.
<Definition of Exerkines>
・Exercise-induced humoral factors
・Includes, for example, peptides, proteins, mRNA, microRNA, DNA, metabolites, etc.
・Secreted not only from skeletal muscle (myokines) but also from a wide range of sources such as the liver (hepatokines), adipose tissue (adipokines), bone (osteokines), and brain (neurokines)
[Review Summary] This review comprehensively summarizes various forms of exercise for the elderly and the multifaceted role of exercise in anti-aging, focusing on the biological functions and origins of these exerkines. Furthermore, it explores how exerkines combat age-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis.
■ Multifaceted effects of exerkines
■ Nervous system
・Exerkines: IGF-1, GPLD1, BDNF, clusterin, PF4 (CXCL4), etc.
・Effects: Improved synaptic plasticity, neuroprotection, suppression of neuroinflammation
■ Liver
・Exerkines: IL-10, irisin
・Effects: Reduced hepatic steatosis, suppression of inflammatory response
■ Immune cells (in the circle at the center right)
・Exerkines: IL-1β, reactions via the TLR3/Nrf2 pathway
・Effects: Improved antioxidant capacity, promoted phagocytosis, reduced oxidative stress, increased GSH/GSSG ratio
■ Skeletal muscle
・Exerkines: NOX4, HSP90
・Effects: Improved muscular contractility, enhanced mitochondrial antioxidant capacity
■ Heart
・Exerkines: Induced by increased PGC-1α
・Effects: Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, proliferation, anti-apoptosis
■ Adipose tissue
・Exerkines: FGF-21, apelin
・Effects: Promoted lipid oxidation, reduced fat mass, browning of white fat
■ Mitochondria (top left/bottom right)
・Exerkines: Antioxidant enzymes such as GPx, SOD, HO-1
・Effects: Reduced oxidative stress, improved antioxidant capacity, mechanism: balances ROS production and detoxification
🌱 So What?: What did I find interesting?
I have encountered the term "exerkine" several times before.
At that time, exerkines were mainly influencing the link between exercise and brain health.
In the paper I read this time, it explains the exercise-induced exerkines in systemic organs and their effects with beautiful diagrams.
I learned the definition of exerkines again.
A collective term for bioactive molecules induced by exercise and secreted primarily from various organs and tissues, including skeletal muscle.
In other words, it is a single word that can explain the effects caused "throughout the body" by exercise.
That single word includes various specific bioactive molecules, but I think it is a bit too detailed to follow them at a micro level from the perspective of rehabilitation.
The important thing is to know what kind of effects are exerted on the whole body when bioactive molecules are secreted by exercise.
For that purpose, I think it is useful to be indicated by a concise term called "exerkine".
For example, I feel that understanding at a level like "In adipose tissue, exerkines are secreted by exercise, leading to a decrease in fat mass" or "In skeletal muscle, exerkines are secreted by exercise, leading to expected improvements in muscular contractility" is sufficient.
Exerkines.
It is an important term for widely understanding Exercise is Medicine (EIM).
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📕エクサカイン
— 理学療法士_海津陽一 Ph.D. (@copellist) July 28, 2025
・エクサカインとは？
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組織から分泌される生理活性分子の総称
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骨格筋, 中枢神経系, 肝臓, 免疫細胞,
心臓, 脂肪組織, ミトコンドリア…
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