Myokines as a novel link between exercise metabolism and inflammation

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Recently, it was discovered that muscle contraction and exercise can cause skeletal muscle to secrete hormone-like substances, termed myokines, that have the potential to communicate with other tissues. This new discovery raises the possibility that cytokines or other factors released from contracting muscle might influence the function of other cells and tissues during exercise. However, the biological roles and cellular effects of most myokines are completely unknown. Because exercise has been shown to modulate inflammation, this novel research program will test the hypothesis that exercise-induced myokines have anti-inflammatory effects. A combination of projects ranging from experiments in isolated immune cells to studies in exercising humans will determine whether myokines influence inflammatory processes at the cellular level. Results will provide new discoveries to improve the fundamental understanding of how muscles might "talk" to other organs and will highlight novel mechanisms to explain how exercise affects physiological function. These findings will help advance understanding in the fields of muscle physiology, immunology, and metabolism. Future application of this research could involve industrial development and commercialization of synthetic myokines to alter inflammation in humans or other animals. In addition to new scientific discoveries, this integrative research program will contribute to the training of a cohort of current and future Canadian scientists across a spectrum of advanced research methodologies.