REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Molecular and Cellular Pathology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1598794
Exercise in Atherosclerosis: Its Beneficial Effects and Underlying Mechanism
Provisionally accepted
Mengting Yin
Liang Guo*- School of Kinesiology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
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Atherosclerosis represents a complex interplay of inflammatory and metabolic processes, in which oxidative stress, endothelial inflammation, the phenotypic transition of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), and the conversion of macrophages into foam cells are involved. In contrast to pharmacological interventions, exercise emerges as a viable, cost-effective, and low-risk strategy to alleviate the progression of atherosclerosis. Exercise exerts beneficial effects on atherosclerosis through modulation of diverse pathways, including exerkines, browning of adipose tissue, the reninangiotensin system (RAS), metabolites, gut microbiota, cell death pathways, microRNAs, nervous system, and immune function. The beneficial impacts of exercise on atherosclerosis and the mechanisms behind them will be examined here. Fully understanding the effects and mechanisms of exercise in reducing atherosclerosis might open doors to developing safe and effective interventions.
Keywords: Exercise, Atherosclerosis, Exerkines, browning of adipose tissue, Cell Death, MicroRNAs, Immune function
Received: 24 Mar 2025; Accepted: 25 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yin and Guo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Liang Guo, School of Kinesiology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.