ABSTRACT
The beneficial effects of exercise require an orchestrated activation of multifaceted signalling pathways in contracting skeletal muscle and remote tissues. Exercise generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are crucial for exercise-induced adaptations. Exogenous antioxidants (e.g., vitamins C and E) hamper the beneficial adaptations to exercise. To date, different sources of ROS have been described in skeletal muscle (e.g., NADPH oxidases, xanthine oxidase, and mitochondria), and they are closely related to the physiological changes induced by physical exercise (e.g., glucose uptake, mitochondriogenesis, and hypertrophy) through both genomic and non-genomic mechanisms. It has become well accepted that many of these widespread beneficial effects of exercise require not only a complex ROS-dependent intramuscular signalling cascade, but also an integrated network with many remote tissues through myokines, lipids, and metabolites to stimulate the widespread redox-mediated signalling pathways. This leads to beneficial adaptations in the whole body. The present chapter provides an overview of how exercise-induced redox signalling promotes physiological adaptation.
