myokine
Sign in to saveAlso known as myokines
A myokine is one of several hundred cytokines or other small proteins (~5–20 kDa) and proteoglycan peptides that are produced and released by skeletal muscle cells (muscle fibers) in response to muscular contractions. They have autocrine, paracrine and/or endocrine effects; their systemic effects occur at picomolar concentrations.
Research
2,815 papers- Myokine-mediated muscle-organ interactions: Molecular mechanisms and clinical significance.Biochemical pharmacology · 2025
- Exercise training mode effects on myokine expression in healthy adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis.Journal of sport and health science · 2024
- Muscle-to-tumor crosstalk: The effect of exercise-induced myokine on cancer progression.Biochimica et biophysica acta. Reviews on cancer · 2022
- A feeding-induced myokine modulates glucose homeostasis.Nature metabolism · 2025
- Exercise-myokine relationships in osteoarthritis.Journal of translational medicine · 2026
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- Myokine
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~22 min read
Article
22 sectionsContents
- History
- Secretion
- In repetitive skeletal muscle contractions
- Functions
- In brain functions related to neuroplasticity, memory, sleep and mood
- In regulating heart architecture
- In immunomodulation
- Specific myokines
- Myostatin
- Interleukins
- Interleukin 6
- Interleukin 15
- Brain-derived neurotrophic factor
- Decorin
- Irisin
- Discovery
- Function
- Osteonectin (SPARC)
- PGC-1
- Myokine in cancer treatments
- References
- External links
A myokine is one of several hundred cytokines or other small proteins (~5–20 kDa) and proteoglycan peptides that are produced and released by skeletal muscle cells (muscle fibers) in response to muscular contractions. They have autocrine, paracrine and/or endocrine effects; their systemic effects occur at picomolar concentrations.
Receptors for myokines are found on muscle, fat, liver, pancreas, bone, heart, immune, and brain cells. The location of these receptors reflects the fact that myokines have multiple functions. Foremost, they are involved in exercise-associated metabolic changes, as well as in the metabolic changes following training adaptation. They also participate in tissue regeneration and repair, maintenance of healthy bodily functioning, immunomodulation; and cell signaling, expression and differentiation.