Aerobic Exercise-Induced Lactate Production: A Novel Opportunity for Remodeling the Tumor Microenvironment

Xin Zhou¹Jinliang Jiang¹Jingjing Liu¹Qinglu Wang^1*Ying Luo^2*Liping Wu^1*

• ¹Shandong Sport University, Ji Nan, China
• ²Zibo Central Hospital, Shandong, China

Cancer, as one of the most deadly and burdensome diseases in the world today, causes irreversible damage to the body. However, due to the ineffective suppression of the inflammatory environment within tumors, identifying new therapeutic targets for cancer treatment has become an urgent issue. Recent studies have shown that lactate, a key product of glycolysis and exercise, is closely related to tumor development. Under normal conditions, lactate regulates various biological functions and can influence immune suppression, thereby interfering with tumor progression. Due to the Warburg effect, lactate levels in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are maintained at high levels. High levels of lactate can further induce the activation of an emerging post-translational modification-lactylation, which enhances the expression of relevant signaling pathways, including JAK-STAT and PI3K/Akt/mTOR. This, in turn, suppresses the body's immune surveillance function and drives tumor progression through epigenetic-metabolic interactions. At the same time, aerobic exercise, as an important intervention for cancer, can enhance anti-inflammatory capacity by secreting muscle factors such as iris protein and tumor suppressor M, and it can also increase the infiltration of immune cells, including CD8 + T cells, improving tumor-killing abilities.