The effect of exercise on cytokines: implications for musculoskeletal health: a narrative review

Docherty, S., Harley, R., McAuley, J. J., Crowe, L. A.N., Padret, C., Kirwan, P. D., Siebert, S. and Millar, N. L. (2022) The effect of exercise on cytokines: implications for musculoskeletal health: a narrative review. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 14(1), 5. (doi: 10.1186/s13102-022-00397-2) (PMID:34991697) (PMCID:PMC8740100)

Abstract

The physiological effects of physical exercise are ubiquitously reported as beneficial to the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. Exercise is widely promoted by medical professionals to aid both physical and emotional wellbeing; however, mechanisms through which this is achieved are less well understood. Despite numerous beneficial attributes, certain types of exercise can inflict significant significant physiological stress. Several studies document a key relationship between exercise and immune activation. Activation of the innate immune system occurs in response to exercise and it is proposed this is largely mediated by cytokine signalling. Cytokines are typically classified according to their inflammatory properties and evidence has shown that cytokines expressed in response to exercise are diverse and may act to propagate, modulate or mitigate inflammation in musculoskeletal health. The review summarizes the existing literature on the relationship between exercise and the immune system with emphasis on how exercise-induced cytokine expression modulates inflammation and the immune response.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Siebert, Professor Stefan and Crowe, Ms Lindsay and Millar, Professor Neal
• Authors: Docherty, S., Harley, R., McAuley, J. J., Crowe, L. A.N., Padret, C., Kirwan, P. D., Siebert, S., and Millar, N. L.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Research Centre: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Immunobiology
• Journal Name: BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• ISSN: 2052-1847
• ISSN (Online): 2052-1847
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Author(s) 2022.
• First Published: First published in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation 14(1):5
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons Licence

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
301515		Damage mechanisms in tendon disease	Neal Millar	Medical Research Council (MRC)	MR/R020515/1	III - Immunology