Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Tissue and Cell, cilt.101, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is a multifactorial biological phenomenon arising from the coordinated effects of mechanical overload, metabolic perturbations, oxidative stress, inflammatory signaling, and molecular remodeling. Rather than constituting a purely deleterious consequence of exercise, EIMD represents a dynamic physiological stimulus that initiates repair, regeneration, and long-term skeletal muscle adaptation. This review synthesizes current evidence to provide an integrated framework linking structural disruption at the sarcomeric level with downstream biochemical responses, immune regulation, and growth factor–mediated remodeling processes. Classical biochemical markers, including creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and myoglobin, remain widely used indicators of sarcolemmal permeability and metabolic stress; however, their interpretative value is limited by indirectness and substantial inter-individual variability. Emerging structural biomarkers such as skeletal muscle troponins, titin fragments, and desmin offer enhanced mechanistic specificity by directly reflecting myofibrillar and cytoskeletal disruption, thereby improving the molecular resolution of EIMD assessment. Concurrently, tightly regulated inflammatory responses characterized by a temporal transition from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory signaling play a dual role by mediating tissue clearance while promoting satellite cell activation and regenerative remodeling. Growth factors including insulin-like growth factor-1, fibroblast growth factor-2, vascular endothelial growth factor, and the inhibitory regulator myostatin are highlighted as central integrators of mechanical, metabolic, and immune-derived cues that coordinate myogenesis, angiogenesis, and hypertrophic adaptation. From a practical perspective, the review emphasizes that optimal management of EIMD should focus on modulation rather than suppression of damage-associated pathways through appropriate exercise prescription, nutritional support, and recovery strategies. Collectively, EIMD is conceptualized as a programmable biological process whose magnitude, timing, and resolution critically determine skeletal muscle resilience, performance, and long-term health.