Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026
07:37
An Adoptive Transfer Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Mice
Published on: June 6, 2025
Exercise hormone irisin alleviates rheumatoid arthritis by removing dysfunctional mitochondria
Yanglin Wu1, Tingting Fu1, Yun Teng2
1Department of Orthopaedics, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou Dushu Lake Hospital, Medical Center of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Autophagy
|May 26, 2026
Summary
Irisin, an exercise hormone, effectively treats experimental arthritis by activating mitophagy to clear harmful mitochondrial components. This process suppresses inflammation, offering a potential new therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
- Rheumatology
Background:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease causing joint inflammation and destruction.
- Exercise benefits RA outcomes, but the mechanisms are unclear.
- Irisin, a hormone released during exercise, is investigated for its therapeutic potential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of irisin in mouse models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying irisin's anti-arthritic effects.
Main Methods:
- Utilized K/BxN serum and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse models.
- Examined irisin's interaction with ITGAV/ITGB5 and its effect on mitophagy, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
- Assessed irisin's efficacy in myeloid-specific autophagy-related gene 5 (atg5) knockout mice.
Main Results:
- Irisin treatment reduced experimental arthritis severity.
- Irisin activated mitophagy via ITGAV/ITGB5 interaction, clearing mtDNA and ROS.
- This suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation, mitigating arthritis pathology.
- The therapeutic effects of irisin were abrogated in atg5-deficient mice, confirming the role of autophagy.
Conclusions:
- Irisin demonstrates significant therapeutic efficacy in experimental arthritis models.
- The mechanism involves irisin-induced mitophagy, leading to reduced inflammation.
- This study highlights irisin as a potential therapeutic agent for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
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