Research progress on the roles and mechanisms of myokines in cardiovascular diseases

As an active substance secreted by skeletal muscle, muscle factors (myokines) play an important role in many physiological processes. During exercise, skeletal muscles contract and send out signals to promote the secretion of myokines, which mediate the interactions between muscle and heart and vascular bed through endocrine entry into circulation. As an exercise factor, myokines are easy to be changed by body exercise, secrete and mediate cardiovascular homeostasis and systemic metabolism, such as improving endothelial cell function, cardiomyocyte apoptosis, glucose homeostasis, insulin resistance and lipid metabolism, and further alleviate cardiovascular injury, but the mechanisms remain largely unclear. In this article, we reviewed the research progress of the pathophysiological effects of myokines on the cardiovascular system.