Grant: Operating Grant

Skeletal muscle represents approximately 40% of the body weight in lean men and women and, therefore, constitutes the largest organ in non-obese humans. During the past decade, skeletal muscle has been identified as a secretory organ and is shown to release factors called myokines in blood stream to communicate with distal organ systems in response to endurance exercise. We have shown that therapeutics effects of endurance exercise are multifactorial and systemic in nature. Hence we propose that all major exercising (skeletal muscle and heart) and non-exercising (liver, fat depots, pancreas, brain, etc.) organs release factors, which we term as 'exerkines', that promote cross-talk between tissues and organs that imparts the beneficial effects of exercise. In this grant, we have proposed animal model and human studies to identify these novel exerkines and their effects on metabolic well-being of the body. Our understanding of these exerkines carry therapeutic implications for aging-associated diseases, such as muscle loss, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, etc.