The ability of exercise to promote tissue regeneration has attracted the attention of many researchers in recent decades. It is known that the human body has a weak regenerative capacity, therefore improving the efficiency of tissue regeneration is a contemporary goal of medicine and biology, to fight injuries, aging and various diseases.
Recent rapid advances in molecular biotechnology have shown that both endurance and resistance training, two traditional types of exercise, trigger a series of physiological responses that through biological mechanisms regulate the human body.
Based on the encouraging results in ongoing studies, horizons are expanding in the relief of a wide range of diseases, such as metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, tumors and cardiovascular diseases.
In a comprehensive study1 of the multitude of physiological mechanisms involved, the benefits of exercise on tissue regeneration in various organs are detailed, focusing primarily on the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. The research delves into underlying molecular mechanisms related to the regenerative effects of exercise, the emerging therapeutic options it provides, as well as the associated difficulties and challenges.
Benefits of exercise in tissue regeneration:
- In the heart muscle, exercise causes normal hypertrophy of the left ventricle of the heart and in case of myocardial infarction it causes a reduction in the infarcted area by promoting the proliferation of cardiomyocytes.
- In skeletal muscle, exercise induces muscle hypertrophy by promoting cell proliferation in both normal and pathological conditions. Angiogenesis and increased mitochondria help delay muscle fatigue.
- In the central nervous system, exercise enhances neurogenesis, axonal regeneration, and cerebral angiogenesis to improve motor, sensory, and cognitive functions. Exercise may also improve sensory and motor functions after spinal cord injury and contribute to the successful therapeutic use of transplanted stem cells.
- In the peripheral nervous system, exercise increases nerve fiber branches in the skin and promotes neurogenesis, so as to relieve pain, improve sensation and motor function in patients with peripheral neuropathy.
- In hematopoiesis, exercise can influence the bone marrow environment to promote hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and leukocyte production.
- In cartilage and bone, exercise modulates skeletal stem cells as well as bone angiogenesis, increasing bone density. In addition, it enhances the regeneration of post-traumatic cartilage lesions and is also considered as an effective adjuvant in cartilage regeneration treatments.
- In the liver, exercise promotes the regenerative capacity of fatty liver, improving its tolerance to ischemia. In addition, it promotes the proliferation of hepatocytes and mitochondria in patients with partial hepatectomy.
As research progresses to provide scientific evidence for exercise-induced tissue regeneration, a strong theoretical basis for developing pharmaceutical options such as “exercise mimetics” is being created. These work as alternative solutions for people who, for various reasons (e.g. neurological diseases, disability, etc.) are unable to benefit from the full range of benefits of exercise.
Without a doubt, regenerative exercise medicine is an emerging and promising field. Currently, a variety of biological signaling pathways and some relatively new molecules have been identified as relevant to the regeneration and adaptive effect of exercise, presenting more potential perspectives for disease prevention and treatment.
- Chen J, Zhou R, Feng Y, Cheng L. Molecular mechanisms of exercise contributing to tissue regeneration. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2022 Nov 30;7(1):383. doi: 10.1038/s41392-022-01233-2. PMID: 36446784; PMCID: PMC9709153.
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