Crosstalk Between Muscle and Bone Via the Muscle-Myokine Irisin

• Published in: Current osteoporosis reports 2016-08, Vol.14 (4), p.132-137
• Main Authors: Colaianni, G., Mongelli, T., Colucci, S., Cinti, S., Grano, Maria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue, Brown - metabolism; Adipose Tissue, White - metabolism; Animals; Bone and Bones - diagnostic imaging; Bone and Bones - drug effects; Bone and Bones - metabolism; Bone Density - drug effects; Cell Differentiation; Cortical Bone - diagnostic imaging; Cortical Bone - drug effects; Epidemiology; Exercise - physiology; Fibronectins - metabolism; Fibronectins - pharmacology; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mice; Muscle and Bone (L Bonewald and M Hamrick; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Orthopedics; Osteoblasts; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Section Editors; Topical Collection on Muscle and Bone; Weight-Bearing; X-Ray Microtomography
• ISSN: 1544-1873; 1544-2241
• DOI: 10.1007/s11914-016-0313-4

Several lines of evidence have recently established that skeletal muscle is an endocrine organ producing and releasing myokines acting in a paracrine or endocrine fashion. Among these, the newly identified myokine Irisin, produced by skeletal muscle after physical exercise, was originally described as molecule able to promote energy expenditure in white adipose tissue. Recently, it has been shown that the myokine Irisin affects skeletal metabolism in vivo. Thus, mice treated with a micro-dose of r-Irisin displayed improved cortical bone mass, geometry and strength, resembling the effect of physical activity in developing an efficient load-bearing skeleton. Further studies highlighted the autocrine effect of Irisin on skeletal muscle, and research performed in humans has definitively established that Irisin is a circulating hormone-like myokine, increased by physical activity. Albeit there are still few, since Irisin has been very recently discovered, herein are summarized the most relevant research findings published on this topic.