Hormesis plays a critical role in producing some major benefits derived from physical exercise. However whether these known cellular mechanisms are applicable to ameliorate age-related deterioration of muscle function is not entirely clear. The present communication proposes that antioxidant adaptation, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator (PGC)-1alpha activated mitochondrial biogenesis, and eccentric contraction-induced, cytokine-propelled muscle inflammation could be important redox-sensitive pathways by which exercise-induced disturbance in oxidant-antioxidant hemeostasis may serve as a heretic stimulus to promote adaptations that help healthy aging and improve the quality of life.
Keywords: aging; exercise; hormesis; muscle; reactive oxygen species.