scholarly journals From Exercise to Cognitive Performance: Role of Irisin

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 7120
Author(s):  
Mirko Pesce ◽  
Irene La Fratta ◽  
Teresa Paolucci ◽  
Alfredo Grilli ◽  
Antonia Patruno ◽  
...  

The beneficial effects of exercise on the brain are well known. In general, exercise offers an effective way to improve cognitive function in all ages, particularly in the elderly, who are considered the most vulnerable to neurodegenerative disorders. In this regard, myokines, hormones secreted by muscle in response to exercise, have recently gained attention as beneficial mediators. Irisin is a novel exercise-induced myokine, that modulates several bodily processes, such as glucose homeostasis, and reduces systemic inflammation. Irisin is cleaved from fibronectin type III domain containing 5 (FNDC5), a transmembrane precursor protein expressed in muscle under the control of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α). The FNDC5/irisin system is also expressed in the hippocampus, where it stimulates the expression of the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor in this area that is associated with learning and memory. In this review, we aimed to discuss the role of irisin as a key mediator of the beneficial effects of exercise on synaptic plasticity and memory in the elderly, suggesting its roles within the main promoters of the beneficial effects of exercise on the brain.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1605
Author(s):  
Patrizia Pignataro ◽  
Manuela Dicarlo ◽  
Roberta Zerlotin ◽  
Chiara Zecca ◽  
Maria Teresa Dell’Abate ◽  
...  

Irisin, the circulating peptide originating from fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), is mainly expressed by muscle fibers under peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1α) control during exercise. In addition to several beneficial effects on health, physical activity positively affects nervous system functioning, particularly the hippocampus, resulting in amelioration of cognition impairments. Recently, FNDC5/irisin detection in hippocampal neurons and the presence of irisin in the cerebrospinal fluid opened a new intriguing chapter in irisin history. Interestingly, in the hippocampus of mice, exercise increases FNDC5 levels and upregulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression. BDNF, displaying neuroprotection and anti-inflammatory effects, is mainly produced by microglia and astrocytes. In this review, we discuss how these glial cells can morphologically and functionally switch during neuroinflammation by modulating the expression of a plethora of neuroprotective or neurotoxic factors. We also focus on studies investigating the irisin role in neurodegenerative diseases (ND). The emerging involvement of irisin as a mediator of the multiple positive effects of exercise on the brain needs further studies to better deepen this issue and the potential use in therapeutic approaches for neuroinflammation and ND.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Yanqin Wu ◽  
Fusheng Sun ◽  
Yujin Guo ◽  
Yumao Zhang ◽  
Li Li ◽  
...  

Background and Aim. Increasing evidence suggests that the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α)/fibronectin type III domain-containing 5 (FNDC5)/brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pathway might be critical for neuroprotection. Our present study is aimed at investigating the antidepressant-like effects of curcumin (CUR) in a chronic unpredictable mild stress- (CUMS-) induced depression rat model and explore whether the PGC-1α/FNDC5/BDNF pathway is the major driving force behind the therapeutic effects of CUR. Methods. All rats were randomly divided into four groups, namely, control, CUMS, CUMS + CUR , and CUMS + CUR + SR 18292 (PGC-1α inhibitor). Behavioral tests were conducted to assess the antidepressant-like effects of CUR. The expressions of PGC-1α, estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα), FNDC5, and BDNF were determined to investigate the regulatory effects of CUR on the PGC-1α/FNDC5/BDNF pathway. The PGC-1α inhibitor SR18292 was used to explore the role of PGC-1α in the induction of BDNF by CUR. Results. Daily gavage of 100 mg/kg CUR successfully attenuated the abnormal behaviors induced by CUMS and effectively prevented CUMS-induced reduction of PGC-1α, ERRα, FNDC5, and BDNF expressions. CUR also enhanced PGC-1α and ERRα translocation from cytoplasm to nucleus. Furthermore, we found that CUR supplementation effectively promoted neurocyte proliferation and suppressed neuronal apoptosis induced by CUMS. Of note, the PGC-1α inhibitor SR18292 remarkably reversed the beneficial effects of CUR on depressed rats, indicating an important role of PGC-1α in the antidepressant-like effects of CUR. Conclusion. Collectively, our data evaluating the neuroprotective action of CUR in the CUMS rats highlights the involvement of the PGC-1α/FNDC5/BDNF pathway in the antidepressant-like effects of CUR.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1602
Author(s):  
Guangsu Zhu ◽  
Jianxin Zhao ◽  
Hao Zhang ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Gang Wang

Psychobiotics are used to treat neurological disorders, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the mechanisms underlying their neuroprotective effects remain unclear. Herein, we report that the administration of bifidobacteria in an AD mouse model improved behavioral abnormalities and modulated gut dysbiosis. Bifidobacterium breve CCFM1025 and WX treatment significantly improved synaptic plasticity and increased the concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95). Furthermore, the microbiome and metabolomic profiles of mice indicate that specific bacterial taxa and their metabolites correlate with AD-associated behaviors, suggesting that the gut–brain axis contributes to the pathophysiology of AD. Overall, these findings reveal that B. breve CCFM1025 and WX have beneficial effects on cognition via the modulation of the gut microbiome, and thus represent a novel probiotic dietary intervention for delaying the progression of AD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8876
Author(s):  
Pierre Layrolle ◽  
Pierre Payoux ◽  
Stéphane Chavanas

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a master regulator of metabolism, adipogenesis, inflammation and cell cycle, and it has been extensively studied in the brain in relation to inflammation or neurodegeneration. Little is known however about its role in viral infections of the brain parenchyma, although they represent the most frequent cause of encephalitis and are a major threat for the developing brain. Specific to viral infections is the ability to subvert signaling pathways of the host cell to ensure virus replication and spreading, as deleterious as the consequences may be for the host. In this respect, the pleiotropic role of PPARγ makes it a critical target of infection. This review aims to provide an update on the role of PPARγ in viral infections of the brain. Recent studies have highlighted the involvement of PPARγ in brain or neural cells infected by immunodeficiency virus 1, Zika virus, or human cytomegalovirus. They have provided a better understanding on PPARγ functions in the infected brain, and revealed that it can be a double-edged sword with respect to inflammation, viral replication, or neuronogenesis. They unraveled new roles of PPARγ in health and disease and could possibly help designing new therapeutic strategies.


Author(s):  
Timothy A. Simeone

The ketogenic diet (KD) is an effective therapy for many patients with refractory epilepsy. It engages a wide array of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory processes and improves mitochondrial function, which is thought to underlie its neuroprotective, antiseizure, and disease-modifying effects. Potential roles of ketone bodies in these mechanisms are discussed elsewhere in this volume. This chapter focuses on the role of KD fatty acids as potential ligands for the nutritionally regulated nuclear transcription factor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma). PPARgamma regulates many of the pathways identified in the mechanism of the KD and, in recent years, has become a potential therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases. This chapter reviews what is known concerning PPARgamma in the brain, the evidence that PPARgamma has neuroprotective and antiseizure properties, and the evidence suggesting that PPARgamma may be involved in the antiseizure mechanisms of the ketogenic diet.


PPAR Research ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vito Annese ◽  
Francesca Rogai ◽  
Alessia Settesoldi ◽  
Siro Bagnoli

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is member of a family of nuclear receptors that interacts with nuclear proteins acting as coactivators and corepressors. The colon is a major tissue which expresses PPARγin epithelial cells and, to a lesser degree, in macrophages and lymphocytes and plays a role in the regulation of intestinal inflammation. Indeed, both natural and synthetic PPARγligands have beneficial effects in different models of experimental colitis, with possible implication in the therapy of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This paper will specifically focus on potential role of PPARγin the predisposition and physiopathology of IBD and will analyze its possible role in medical therapy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis G. Fatouros

Abstract Irisin is produced by a proteolytic cleavage of fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5) and has emerged as a potential mediator of exercise-induced energy metabolism. The purpose of this study was to review the results of studies that investigated irisin responses to acute and chronic exercise and provide an update. A comprehensive search in the databases of MEDLINE was performed (74 exercise studies). The focus of the analysis was on data concerning FNDC5 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle and circulating irisin concentration relatively to exercise mode, intensity, frequency and duration and the characteristics of the sample used. Circulating irisin levels may either not relate to FNDC5 transcription or expression of the later precedes irisin rise in the blood. Acute speed/strength and endurance exercise protocols represent potent stimuli for irisin release if they are characterized by adequate intensity and/or duration. There are no reports regarding irisin responses to field sport activities. Although animal studies suggest that irisin may also respond to systematic exercise training, the majority of human studies has produced contradictory results. Certain methodological issues need to be considered here such as the analytical assays used to measure irisin concentration in the circulation. Results may also be affected by subjects’ age, conditioning status and exercise intensity. The role of irisin as a moderator of energy metabolism during exercise remains to be seen.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oswaldo A. Lozoya ◽  
Fuhua Xu ◽  
Dagoberto Grenet ◽  
Tianyuan Wang ◽  
Korey D. Stevanovic ◽  
...  

AbstractThe peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1 alpha (PGC1α) is known as a transcriptional co-activator in peripheral tissues but its function in the brain remains poorly understood. Various brain-specific Pgc1α isoforms have been reported in mice and humans, including transcripts derived from a novel promoter about ∼580 Kb upstream from the reference gene. These isoforms incorporate repetitive sequences from the simple sequence repeat (SSR) and short interspersed nuclear element (SINE) classes and are predicted to give rise to proteins with distinct amino-termini. In this study, we show that a SINE-containing isoform is the predominant form of Pgc1α expressed in neurons. We then generated a mouse carrying a mutation within the SINE to study its functional role in the brain. By combining genomics, biochemical and behavioural approaches, we show that this mutation leads to impaired motor coordination in females, but not male mice, associated with the upregulation of hundreds of cerebellar genes. Moreover, our analysis suggests that known nuclear receptors interact with this isoform of PGC1α in the brain to carry out the female transcriptional program. These data expand our knowledge on the role of Pgc1α in the brain and help explain its conflicting roles in neurological disease and behavioural outcomes.


2012 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 806-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. W. Thomas ◽  
N. A. Davies ◽  
H. Moir ◽  
L. Watkeys ◽  
J. S. Ruffino ◽  
...  

The aim of the present study was to test the hypotheses that exercise is associated with generation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) ligands in the plasma and that this may activate PPARγ signaling within circulating monocytes, thus providing a mechanism to underpin the exercise-induced antiatherogenic benefits observed in previous studies. A cohort of healthy individuals undertook an 8-wk exercise-training program; samples were obtained before (Pre) and after (Post) standardized submaximal exercise bouts (45 min of cycling at 70% of maximal O2 uptake, determined at baseline) at weeks 0, 4, and 8. Addition of plasma samples to PPARγ response element (PPRE)-luciferase reporter gene assays showed increased PPARγ activity following standardized exercise bouts (Post/Pre = 1.23 ± 0.10 at week 0, P < 0.05), suggesting that PPARγ ligands were generated during exercise. However, increases in PPARγ/PPRE-luciferase activity in response to the same standardized exercise bout were blunted during the training program (Post/Pre = 1.18 ± 0.14 and 1.10 ± 0.10 at weeks 4 and 8, respectively, P > 0.05 for both), suggesting that the relative intensity of the exercise may affect PPARγ ligand generation. In untrained individuals, specific transient increases in monocyte expression of PPARγ-regulated genes were observed within 1.5–3 h of exercise (1.7 ± 0.4, 2.6 ± 0.4, and 1.4 ± 0.1 fold for CD36, liver X receptor-α, and ATP-binding cassette subfamily A member 1, respectively, P < 0.05), with expression returning to basal levels within 24 h. In contrast, by the end of the exercise program, expression at the protein level of PPARγ target genes had undergone sustained increases that were not associated with an individual exercise bout (e.g., week 8 Pre/ week 0 Pre = 2.79 ± 0.61 for CD36, P < 0.05). Exercise is known to upregulate PPARγ-controlled genes to induce beneficial effects in skeletal muscle (e.g., mitochondrial biogenesis and aerobic respiration). We suggest that parallel exercise-induced benefits may occur in monocytes, as monocyte PPARγ activation has been linked to beneficial antidiabetic effects (e.g., exercise-induced upregulation of monocytic PPARγ-controlled genes is associated with reverse cholesterol transport and anti-inflammatory effects). Thus, exercise-triggered monocyte PPARγ activation may constitute an additional rationale for prescribing exercise to type 2 diabetes patients.


Author(s):  
Rana A. Alaaeddine ◽  
Perihan A. Elzahhar ◽  
Ibrahim AlZaim ◽  
Wassim Abou-Kheir ◽  
Ahmed S.F. Belal ◽  
...  

: Emerging evidence supports an intertwining framework for the involvement of different inflammatory pathways in a common pathological background for a number of disorders. Of importance are pathways involving arachidonic acid metabolism by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX). Both enzyme activities and their products are implicated in a range of pathophysiological processes encompassing metabolic impairment leading to adipose inflammation and the subsequent vascular and neurological disorders, in addition to various pro-and anti-tumorigenic effects. A further layer of complexity is encountered by the disparate, and often reciprocal, modulatory effect COX-2 and 15-LOX activities and metabolites exert on each other or on other cellular targets, the most prominent of which is peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). Thus, effective therapeutic intervention with such multifaceted disorders requires the simultaneous modulation of more than one target. Here, we describe the role of COX-2, 15-LOX, and PPARγ in cancer and complications of metabolic disorders, highlight the value of designing multi-target directed ligands (MTDLs) modifying their activity, and summarize the available literature regarding the rationale and feasibility of design and synthesis of these ligands together with their known biological effects. We speculate on the potential impact of MTDLs in these disorders as well as emphasize the need for structured future effort to translate these early results facilitating the adoption of these, and similar, molecules in clinical research.


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