Myokines, Measurement, and Technical Considerations

Abstract

Skeletal muscle has long been established as a highly multifunctional organ, playing a vital role in locomotion, whole-body metabolic and energy homeostasis, and thermoregulation. More recently, emergent evidence has highlighted a potent secretory role for muscle, producing and releasing “myokine” molecules that act in autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine fashion to govern muscle physiology and regulate whole-body homeostasis via multi-tissue cross talk mechanisms. Myokines represent promising therapeutic targets in health and disease, with their discovery, measurement, and functional importance being a hotbed of research across numerous physiological contexts. Here, we provide an overview of myokines and summarize current understanding of their biological role(s). We also outline primary approaches for myokine analysis, including detailed methodology for performing omics-driven myokine prediction, while further appraising both method-specific and general technical considerations to provide an evidence-based approach for designing and conducting myokine experiments.