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Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Application of Chronic Stimulation to Study Contractile Activity-induced Rat Skeletal Muscle Phenotypic Adaptations
Published on: January 25, 2018
Mechanisms of exercise-induced preconditioning in skeletal muscles
Scott K Powers1, Matthew Bomkamp1, Mustafa Ozdemir1
1Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Abstract:
Endurance exercise training promotes numerous biochemical adaptations within skeletal muscle fibers culminating into a phenotype that is safeguarded against numerous perils including doxorubicin-induced myopathy and inactivity-induced muscle atrophy. This exercise-induced protection of skeletal muscle fibers is commonly termed "exercise preconditioning". This review will discuss the biochemical mechanisms responsible for exercise-induced protection of skeletal muscle fibers against these harmful events. The first segment of this report highlights the evidence that endurance exercise training provides cytoprotection to skeletal muscle fibers against several potentially damaging insults. The second and third sections of the review will discuss the cellular adaptations responsible for exercise-induced protection of skeletal muscle fibers against doxorubicin-provoked damage and inactivity-induced fiber atrophy, respectively. Importantly, we also identify gaps in our understanding of exercise preconditioning in hopes of stimulating future research.
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