Irisin at the Croasroad of Autophagy and BNDF Signaling for Neuroplasticity Regulation

Neuroplasticity is an integral feature of both the developing brain and the brain maintaining functional homeostasis and implementing adaptive changes at normal conditions and upon compensation for pathology. Support of neuroplasticity mechanisms is one of the targets for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of neurodegenerative and stress-associated diseases. Progress in understanding the mechanisms of interaction between the muscular system and the brain points to the role of the myokine irisin in mediating the procognitive and antidepressant activity of physical exercises. Irisin released upon myocytes activation in the periphery can cross the blood-brain barrier and is thought to stimulate cellular autophagy. Autophagy-mediated activation of protein and macromolecule recycling promotes adaptive restructuring of synaptic contacts, and the release of proteases, including matrix metalloproteinase 9, which are determining the reformatting of the extracellular matrix, maturation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and, therefore, the positive regulation of BDNF signaling. Recent findings allow one to consider autophagy-stimulating factors as prerequisites for successful treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders, as well as age-related dementia. Therefore, irisin, as a physiological regulator of autophagy, appears as a prototype molecule for the creation of new therapeutic agents for the correction of neurodegenerative conditions and stress-associated brain disorders.