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Bone Abstracts (2016) 5 OC4.6 | DOI: 10.1530/boneabs.5.OC4.6

1Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy; 2The Mount Sinai Bone Program, Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA; 3Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy; 4Department of Biomaterials, Institute for Clinical Dentistry, University of Oslo, Olso, Norway; 5Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Center of Obesity, United Hospitals, University of Ancona, Ancona, Italy.


Irisin is a hormone-like myokine secreted from skeletal muscle in response to exercise. Considering that an intimate relationship between skeletal muscle and bone has been well established and that physical exercise physiologically stimulates the skeleton strengthening, we explored the involvement of Irisin on bone metabolism.

Our findings demonstrated that the myokine Irisin improves cortical bone mass and geometry in vivo, supporting the idea that Irisin recapitulates some of the most important benefits of physical exercise on the skeleton and plays protective role on bone health. Healthy young male mice, treated with a micro-dose of recombinant Irisin (r-Irisin), showed increased cortical bone mineral density (+7.15%; P<0.01), periosteal circumference (+7.5%; P<0.03) and polar moment of inertia (+19.21%; P<0.01). The enlarged bone perimeter and cross-sectional area, thus distributing bone mass further from the center of bone, indicated improved resistance of tibia from Irisin-treated mice to bending forces. Furthermore, the increase of polar moment of inertia, an index of long bone resistance to torsion, provided evidence that Irisin-treatment might maximize bone to become more structurally efficient for torsion, in order to induce optimal stress transfer and physical performance. Likewise, three-point bending tests of tibiae showed that bending strength (+65%; P<0.01) and energy to fracture (+9.5%; P<0.05) increased in Irisin-treated mice. Dynamic histomorphometry of the tibial cortical bone, using timed injections of xylelol orange and calcein, showed a significant increase in bone formation rate (+85%; P<0.01) and mineral apposition rate (+70%; P<0.01).

This new revealed role for Irisin as mediator of bone-muscle connection has better clarified the molecular mechanisms underlying the positive effect of physical exercise on bone. Future extension of our findings could support the design of an Irisin-based therapeutic strategy that may be relevant for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis during aging, immobility, muscle wasting (sarcopenia) and absence of mechanical load (microgravity).

Volume 5

43rd Annual European Calcified Tissue Society Congress

Rome, Italy
14 May 2016 - 17 May 2016

European Calcified Tissue Society 

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