Irisin alleviates chronic constriction injury-induced hyperalgesia and affective disorders in mice through NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling pathways

This study investigates how irisin, a muscle-derived protein, affects nerve pain and related mood disorders in mice after a chronic constriction injury (CCI). The researchers found that irisin can reduce pain sensitivity and improve depressive and anxious behaviors in these mice. The study also explored the mechanisms behind these effects, focusing on inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain and spinal cord. Irisin appears to work by reducing inflammation (through the NF-κB pathway) and combating oxidative stress (through the Nrf2 pathway). These findings suggest that irisin might be a useful therapeutic agent for treating chronic nerve pain and the mood disorders that often accompany it, by targeting inflammation and oxidative stress in the nervous system.

• 1
  Irisin treatment ameliorated CCI-induced mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia, depressive, and anxiety behaviors in mice.
• 2
  Irisin reversed the abnormal expressions of inflammatory and oxidative stress relevant cytokines in the hippocampus, frontal cortex, and spinal cord.
• 3
  The therapeutic effects of irisin were partly abolished by ML385, a specific Nrf2 antagonist, suggesting the involvement of the Nrf2 pathway.