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Clinical Trial
. 2015 Mar 17;10(3):e0121367.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121367. eCollection 2015.

Irisin in blood increases transiently after single sessions of intense endurance exercise and heavy strength training

Håvard Nygaard  1 , Gunnar Slettaløkken  1 , Geir Vegge  1 , Ivana Hollan  2 , Jon Elling Whist  3 , Tor Strand  3 , Bent R Rønnestad  1 , Stian Ellefsen  1
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Irisin in blood increases transiently after single sessions of intense endurance exercise and heavy strength training

Håvard Nygaard et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Purpose: Irisin is a recently identified exercise-induced hormone that increases energy expenditure, at least in rodents. The main purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that Irisin increases acutely in blood after singular sessions of intense endurance exercise (END) and heavy strength training (STR). Secondary, we wanted to explore the relationship between body composition and exercise-induced effects on irisin, and the effect of END and STR on muscular expression of the irisin gene FNDC5.

Methods: Nine moderately trained healthy subjects performed three test days using a randomized and standardized crossover design: one day with 60 minutes of END, one day with 60 minutes of STR, and one day without exercise (CON). Venous blood was sampled over a period of 24h on the exercise days.

Results: Both END and STR led to transient increases in irisin concentrations in blood, peaking immediately after END and one hour after STR, before gradually returning to baseline. Irisin responses to STR, but not END, showed a consistently strong negative correlation with proportions of lean body mass. Neither END nor STR affected expression of FNDC5, measured 4h after training sessions, though both protocols led to pronounced increases in PGC-1α expression, which is involved in transcriptional control of FNDC5.

Conclusion: The results strongly suggest that single sessions of intense endurance exercise and heavy strength training lead to transient increases in irisin concentrations in blood. This was not accompanied by increased FNDC5 expression, measured 4h post-exercise. The results suggest that irisin responses to resistance exercise are higher in individuals with lower proportions of lean body mass.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Schematic presentation of the protocol of the test days.
The time line spans the period from the evening prior to exercise days (-12) to the subsequent morning to exercise days (24 hours subsequent to exercise). 0h = the end of the 60 minutes exercise sessions. There were three test days; one day with a session of intense endurance exercise (END), one day with a session of heavy strength training (STR) and one day without exercise (CON). CON was similarly structured as END and STR, except that no exercise was performed, no muscle biopsies were sampled, and blood samples were only sampled at-1h, 2h and 6h.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Plasma concentration of irisin.
Plasma concentration of irisin measured following singular sessions of intense endurance (END) or heavy strength training (STR), or on a control day (CON) without training. Data are mean values ± SEM. The type of intervention had a significant effect on plasma irisin levels (p = 0.022; based on analyses of values from pre, 2h and 6h). There was also an effect of time after exercise (p = 0.007).
Fig 3
Fig 3. Lean body mass and exercise induced changes in irisin.
Correlations between proportions of lean body mass and relative changes in plasma irisin following singular sessions of intense endurance exercise (END) or heavy strength training (STR), or on a control day (CON) without training. The X axis represent individual % lean body mass. The Y axis represent individual changes in irisin concentration from baseline to each of the different time points with blood samples. Correlation analyses were performed using Pearson’s method, except of the ones marked sp, which were performed using Spearman’s method due to a lack of normal distribution. # = p≤0.05.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Changes in gene expression.
Relative changes in gene expression of irisin-related genes following singular sessions of intense endurance exercise (END) or heavy strength training (STR). Muscle biopsies were sampled 4h post exercise. Data are mean values ± SEM. * = p≤0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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