Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 29, 2026
06:11
Author Spotlight: Ex Vivo Protocol for Culturing Quiescent Muscle Stem Cells with Niche Components
Published on: June 2, 2023
2.0K
Skeletal muscle is an endocrine organ
Kenji Iizuka1, Takuji Machida, Masahiko Hirafuji
1Department of Pharmacological Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Japan.
Journal of Pharmacological Sciences
|May 27, 2014
Summary
Skeletal muscle releases myokines, signaling molecules that benefit distant organs and regulate bodily functions. Understanding myokine networks offers new therapeutic strategies for various clinical disorders.
Area of Science:
- Exercise physiology
- Endocrinology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Skeletal muscle is crucial for movement and energy metabolism.
- Exercise training enhances health through mechanisms involving muscle-derived factors.
- These factors, known as myokines, impact various organs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of skeletal muscle in releasing myokines.
- To highlight the network of myokines regulating organ function.
- To explore the potential of myokine research in clinical applications.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on myokine synthesis and secretion.
- Analysis of the regulatory network of myokines.
- Discussion of skeletal muscle as an endocrine organ.
Main Results:
- Skeletal muscle synthesizes and secretes diverse myokines.
- Myokines act on both skeletal muscle and remote organs.
- A complex network exists for myokine-mediated communication.
Conclusions:
- Skeletal muscle functions as an endocrine organ through myokine release.
- Understanding myokine production and secretion is key.
- This knowledge may pave the way for novel pharmacological treatments.
Related Concept Videos
00:59Structures of the Endocrine System
13.9K
The intricate framework of the endocrine system encompasses a diverse array of glands, with their target tissues and organs strategically distributed throughout the body. Central to this network are the endocrine glands, specialized structures that lack ducts and release hormones directly into the interstitial fluid. Notably, the hypothalamus, a vital neuroendocrine organ situated in the brain, governs neural functions and serves as a potent source of hormonal regulation. Near the hypothalamus...
13.9K
01:29The Endocrine System
2.5K
The endocrine system is an extensive network of glands – organs or tissues in the body that create chemicals that control many bodily functions, that secrete hormones, which are chemical messengers that play essential roles in regulating various bodily functions. These hormones are secreted into the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. They require specific receptors to convey signals to cells possessing these corresponding receptors. This complex signaling mechanism ensures that...
2.5K
00:55Skeletal Muscle Anatomy
74.2K
Skeletal muscle is the most abundant type of muscle in the body. Tendons are the connective tissue that attaches skeletal muscle to bones. Skeletal muscles pull on tendons, which in turn pull on bones to carry out voluntary movements.
74.2K
01:15Overview of Skeletal Muscle
12.6K
Skeletal muscles are composed of a bundle of muscle fibers and are attached to bones through tendons. Each skeletal muscle fiber is a single muscle cell. The sarcolemma, the plasma membrane of a skeletal muscle cell, consists of a lipid bilayer and glycocalyx that supports muscle fibers. The sarcolemma extends into the muscle cells to form tubular structures called transverse or T-tubules. Each side of the T-tubules consists of a membrane-bound structure called the sarcoplasmic reticulum,...
12.6K
01:10An Overview of the Endocrine System
15.3K
The endocrine system, a complex network of glands, orchestrates physiological balance within the body through the production and secretion of hormones. These hormones are chemical messengers in intercellular communication, acting as conduits between the secretory cells and distant target sites. They traverse the circulatory system by being released into the extracellular fluid, and their impact is specific to cells possessing receptors for a particular hormone.
The endocrine system collaborates...
The endocrine system collaborates...
15.3K
00:46What is the Endocrine System?
404.2K
The endocrine system sends hormones—chemical signals—through the bloodstream to target cells—the cells the hormones selectively affect. These signals are produced in endocrine cells, secreted into the extracellular fluid, and then diffuse into the blood. Eventually, they diffuse out of the blood and bind to target cells which have specialized receptors to recognize the hormones.
404.2K