ABSTRACT
Hypoxic condition of skeletal muscle is caused not only by hypoxia exposure but also by exercise and disease etc. It is thought that clarifying a mechanism of response to hypoxia in vivo is useful for developing better training methods and treatment strategies. However, at present, research dealing with the effects of hypoxic exposure on skeletal muscle have not shown consistent results. Hypoxic exposure results in angiogenesis or muscle atrophy as morphological changes in skeletal muscle. Applications of hypoxic exposure include intermittent hypoxic exposure and hypoxic training, both of which may lead to angiogenesis in a mechanism different from normal hypoxic exposure. In this review, we present some findings on the effects of hypoxia exposure on skeletal muscle and discuss whether satellite cells are involved in promoting angiogenesis by hypoxia.