Molecular Mechanisms of Muscle Fatigue
- PMID: 34769017
- PMCID: PMC8584022
- DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111587
Molecular Mechanisms of Muscle Fatigue
Abstract
Muscle fatigue (MF) declines the capacity of muscles to complete a task over time at a constant load. MF is usually short-lasting, reversible, and is experienced as a feeling of tiredness or lack of energy. The leading causes of short-lasting fatigue are related to overtraining, undertraining/deconditioning, or physical injury. Conversely, MF can be persistent and more serious when associated with pathological states or following chronic exposure to certain medication or toxic composites. In conjunction with chronic fatigue, the muscle feels floppy, and the force generated by muscles is always low, causing the individual to feel frail constantly. The leading cause underpinning the development of chronic fatigue is related to muscle wasting mediated by aging, immobilization, insulin resistance (through high-fat dietary intake or pharmacologically mediated Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor (PPAR) agonism), diseases associated with systemic inflammation (arthritis, sepsis, infections, trauma, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders (heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD))), chronic kidney failure, muscle dystrophies, muscle myopathies, multiple sclerosis, and, more recently, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The primary outcome of displaying chronic muscle fatigue is a poor quality of life. This type of fatigue represents a significant daily challenge for those affected and for the national health authorities through the financial burden attached to patient support. Although the origin of chronic fatigue is multifactorial, the MF in illness conditions is intrinsically linked to the occurrence of muscle loss. The sequence of events leading to chronic fatigue can be schematically denoted as: trigger (genetic or pathological) -> molecular outcome within the muscle cell -> muscle wasting -> loss of muscle function -> occurrence of chronic muscle fatigue. The present review will only highlight and discuss current knowledge on the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the upregulation of muscle wasting, thereby helping us understand how we could prevent or treat this debilitating condition.
Keywords: atrophy; fatigue; muscle function; skeletal muscle.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Factors contributing to muscle wasting and dysfunction in COPD patients.Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2007;2(3):289-300. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2007. PMID: 18229567 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Disease-Induced Skeletal Muscle Atrophy and Fatigue.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016 Nov;48(11):2307-2319. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000975. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016. PMID: 27128663 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Physiological and functional failure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure and cancer: a debilitating intersection of sarcopenia, cachexia and breathlessness.Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2016 Sep;10(3):236-41. doi: 10.1097/SPC.0000000000000222. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2016. PMID: 27380222 Review.
-
Triggers and mechanisms of skeletal muscle wasting in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2013 Oct;45(10):2245-56. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2013.06.015. Epub 2013 Jul 1. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2013. PMID: 23827718 Review.
-
Molecular and biological pathways of skeletal muscle dysfunction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Chron Respir Dis. 2016 Aug;13(3):297-311. doi: 10.1177/1479972316642366. Epub 2016 Apr 6. Chron Respir Dis. 2016. PMID: 27056059 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
The mediating role of inflammaging between mitochondrial dysfunction and sarcopenia in aging: a review.Am J Clin Exp Immunol. 2023 Dec 15;12(6):109-126. eCollection 2023. Am J Clin Exp Immunol. 2023. PMID: 38187366 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Pathophysiological Aspects of Muscle Atrophy and Osteopenia Induced by Chronic Constriction Injury (CCI) of the Sciatic Nerve in Rats.Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 13;24(4):3765. doi: 10.3390/ijms24043765. Int J Mol Sci. 2023. PMID: 36835176 Free PMC article.
-
Skeletal Myosteatosis is Associated with Systemic Inflammation and a Loss of Muscle Bioenergetics in Stable COPD.J Inflamm Res. 2022 Aug 1;15:4367-4384. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S366204. eCollection 2022. J Inflamm Res. 2022. PMID: 35937916 Free PMC article.
-
[Yifei Sanjie Pills alleviates cancer-related skeletal muscle atrophy in mice possibly by lowering inflammatory insulin resistance].Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. 2023 Nov 20;43(11):1839-1849. doi: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2023.11.02. Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. 2023. PMID: 38081600 Free PMC article. Chinese.
-
Early Postoperative Patient-Reported Outcomes of Sarcopenia Versus Nonsarcopenia in Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for Lung Cancer.Ann Surg Oncol. 2025 Feb;32(2):801-810. doi: 10.1245/s10434-024-16140-9. Epub 2024 Aug 31. Ann Surg Oncol. 2025. PMID: 39215771
References
-
- Dave H.D., Shook M., Varacallo M. Anatomy, Skeletal Muscle. StatPearls; Treasure Island, FL, USA: 2021. - PubMed
-
- Bonetto A., Bonewald L.F. Basic and Applied Bone Biology. Academic Press; Cambridge, MA, USA: 2019. Bone and muscle; pp. 317–332.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources