Exercise and health — emerging roles of IL-6
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review › Research › peer-review
Skeletal muscle works as a secretory organ with the capacity to produce hundreds of myokines. This finding provides a conceptual basis for understanding how muscles communicate with other organs such as adipose tissue, liver, pancreas, bones, and brain. The myokine IL-6 is released into the blood during exercise and it has been shown that IL-6 has multiple immunologic and metabolic effects. Here, we discuss recent advances regarding the physiology of IL-6. Human studies show that IL-6 infusion delays gastric emptying, reduces postprandial glucose concentrations and reduces insulin secretion, whereas experimental studies suggest a role for IL-6 in appetite regulation. Evidence is also accumulating for a central role of IL-6 in training-induced loss of visceral adipose tissue mass in humans. Moreover, recent experimental studies in mice show that voluntary exercise suppresses tumor growth through epinephrine-dependent and IL-6-dependent mobilization and redistribution of cytotoxic NK cells. It has been known for a while that IL-6 is a pleiotropic molecule; however, recent advances suggest that the physiological roles of IL-6 involve multiple aspects of metabolism as well as a role in tumor defense.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Current Opinion in Physiology |
Volume | 10 |
Pages (from-to) | 49-54 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISSN | 2468-8681 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2019 |
ID: 241160939