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08:01
Measurement of Insulin- and Contraction-Stimulated Glucose Uptake in Isolated and Incubated Mature Skeletal Muscle from Mice
Published on: May 16, 2021
Exercise-evoked immunometabolic niches coordinate context-dependent muscle metabolism
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism: TEM
|July 17, 2026
Summary
Exercise enhances metabolic health by organizing immune responses within specific niches. These spatially regulated interactions, coordinated by neutrophils, improve insulin sensitivity and muscle function, even amid inflammation.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Metabolic Health
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Exercise benefits metabolic health, but associated immune mediators can paradoxically promote inflammation and dysfunction.
- Existing research often overlooks the spatial organization of immune responses to exercise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a conceptual framework for understanding exercise-induced immune responses within spatially defined immunometabolic niches.
- To elucidate the role of endothelial-associated neutrophils in coordinating these responses.
- To reframe metabolic outcomes, including postexercise insulin sensitization, as properties of these niches.
Main Methods:
- This is an opinion article, presenting a theoretical framework based on existing literature.
- It integrates concepts from immunology, exercise physiology, and cell biology.
Main Results:
- Immune responses to exercise are spatially organized within immunometabolic niches.
- Endothelial-associated neutrophils act as key coordinating cells, integrating signals and initiating immune remodeling.
- Neutrophil extracellular trap formation is implicated in these processes.
- Metabolic outcomes, including insulin sensitization, are emergent properties of intercellular interactions within these niches.
Conclusions:
- Exercise-induced metabolic improvements are context-dependent and spatially regulated within immunometabolic niches.
- Inflammatory mediators like interleukin-1 can have beneficial metabolic and muscle function effects within these specific microenvironments.
- This framework offers new perspectives on the interplay between exercise, immunity, and metabolism.
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