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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
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Preclinical Drug Testing in Scalable 3D Engineered Muscle Tissues
Published on: April 7, 2023
Engineered Muscle Tissue Analysis of Irisin Protection Against Glucocorticoid- and Cancer Cachexia-Induced Muscle
Young Hoon Son1, Christina Y Sheng1,2, Ji-Eun Jeong3
1Biohybrid Systems Group, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA.
Biochip Journal
|August 7, 2026
Summary
Irisin, an exercise-induced protein, combats muscle atrophy by enhancing protein synthesis and preserving muscle function. This study utilized engineered muscle models to demonstrate irisin
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Molecular Biology
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Muscle atrophy, characterized by protein imbalance, leads to skeletal muscle wasting and increased mortality.
- Myokines, like irisin, mediate exercise's benefits against muscle wasting by improving metabolism and tissue repair.
- Understanding irisin's precise functions is limited by the complexity of in vivo environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate irisin's therapeutic potential using engineered skeletal muscle tissue models.
- To validate irisin's efficacy in mitigating dexamethasone (DEX)-induced muscle atrophy and cancer cachexia.
- To assess irisin's protective effects against DEX-induced cardiotoxicity in a cardiac model.
Main Methods:
- Development of biomimetic engineered skeletal muscle tissue models.
- Treatment of models with irisin to counteract DEX-induced atrophy and cancer cachexia.
- Utilized human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) models to test irisin's cardiac effects.
Main Results:
- Irisin mitigated DEX-induced muscle atrophy by restoring myogenic markers, enhancing protein synthesis, and preserving contractile function.
- Irisin counteracted cancer cachexia-induced muscle wasting, improving gene expression and muscle contractility.
- Irisin demonstrated protective effects against DEX-induced cardiotoxicity in hiPSC-CMs, improving contractility and reducing cell death.
Conclusions:
- Engineered muscle platforms are effective for studying irisin's therapeutic mechanisms.
- Irisin shows significant potential as a therapeutic agent for muscle wasting disorders.
- Irisin's protective effects extend to cardiac tissues, suggesting its utility for cardiac dysfunction.
