The Role of Leukemia Inhibitory Factor in Attenuating Skeletal Muscle Atrophy: Mechanisms to Exercise Interventions

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a member of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine family, is a well-characterized myokine with pleiotropic regulatory effects on skeletal muscle. LIF modulates several fundamental cellular processes, including myoblast proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and energy metabolism. Exercise upregulates LIF expression in skeletal muscle, thereby promoting satellite cell activation, proliferation, myoblast differentiation, and angiogenesis, facilitating physiological muscle hypertrophy, and suppressing myocyte apoptosis and muscle atrophy. In addition, LIF plays a critical role in modulating the inflammatory and extracellular matrix remodeling following exercise-induced muscle damage, thereby supporting efficient muscle repair and regeneration. This review elaborates on the biological mechanisms by which LIF regulates skeletal muscle atrophy and contributes to the enhancement of skeletal muscle function. It also highlights the biological characteristics of myogenic LIF and discusses future directions for basic and applied research on exercise interventions targeting LIF signaling pathways.