Immunomodulation and immunoregulation were a particular focus of early myokine research, as, according to Dr. Bente Klarlund Pedersen and her colleagues, "the interactions between exercise and the immune system provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the role of underlying endocrine and cytokine mechanisms."
Muscle has an impact on the trafficking and inflammation of lymphocytes and neutrophils. During exercise, both neutrophils and NK cells and other lymphocytes enter the blood. Long-duration, high-intensity exercise leads to a decrease in the number of lymphocytes, while the concentration of neutrophils increases through mechanisms including adrenaline and cortisol.Interleukin-6 has been shown to mediate the increase in Cortisol: IL-6 stimulates the production of cortisol and therefore induces leukocytosis and lymphocytopenia.