Exercise-induced myokine FNDC5/irisin functions in cardiovascular protection and intracerebral retrieval of synaptic plasticity

Physical exercise is well known to benefit human health at every age. However, the exact mechanism through which physical exercise improves health remains unknown. Recent studies into exercise-induced myokine FNDC5/irisin, a newly discovered hormone, have begun to shed light on this mystery. Exercise-induced myokine FNDC5/irisin have been shown to be protective against cardiovascular damage post ischemic event, improve function in the neurons of Alzheimer's disease patients, and have been implicated in macrophage and adipocyte regulation. Elegantly designed experiments have shown FNDC5/irisin to promote Nkx2.5⁺ cardiac progenitor cell dependent cardiac regeneration, neovascularization, and reduce cardiac fibrosis. It has also been shown to improve macrophage function, which may protect against injuries to the cardiac conduction system. Similarly, FNDC5/irisin knockout mice have been shown to have reduced memory performance, while peripheral overexpression of FNDC5/irisin has been shown to improve memory impairment in a murine Alzheimer's disease model. Finally, FNDC5/irisin has been linked to regulation of osteocytes and adipocytes by signaling through the cytoplasmic membrane integrated protein aV/b5 integrin, the first known receptor for this newly discovered hormone. Although these recent discoveries have cemented the importance of FNDC5/irisin, many details regarding how FNDC5/irisin fits into the physiology of exercise benefits remain unknown and are deserving of future inquiry.