Irisin attenuates ethanol-induced behavioral deficits in mice through activation of Nrf2 and inhibition of NF-κB pathways.

This study aims to investigate the effect of irisin on ethanol-induced behavioral deficits and explore the underlying mechanisms. A mouse model of ethanol addiction/withdrawal was constructed through chronic ethanol administration. Depressive-like behaviors were evaluated by the tail suspension test and forced swimming test, and anxiety-like behaviors were evaluated by the marble-burying test and elevated plus maze test. The expression of Nrf2 was measured by western blotting. Levels of inflammatory mediators (NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) and oxidative stress factors (ROS, MDA, GSH and SOD) were detected by ELISA. The ethanol-induced PC12/BV2 cell injury model was used to elucidate whether the effect of irisin on ethanol-induced neurological injury was related to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms. Ethanol-induced ethanol preference and emotional deficits were improved by chronic irisin treatment; however, these improvements were partly reversed by cotreatment with the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385. Further results implied that the improvement effect of irisin on behavioral abnormalities may be related to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In detail, irisin inhibited ethanol-induced abnormal expression of ROS and MDA and upregulated the expression of GSH and SOD. Meanwhile, irisin treatment inhibited ethanol-induced overexpression of NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The regulation of oxidative stress factors by irisin was reversed after ML385 treatment. In the in vitro study, overexpression of oxidative stress factors in ethanol-treated PC12 cells was inhibited by irisin treatment; however, the prevention was reversed after the knockdown of Nrf2 siRNA. Moreover, ethanol-induced overexpression of inflammatory mediators in BV2 cells was also inhibited by irisin treatment. Irisin improved depressive and anxiety-like behaviors induced by ethanol addiction/withdrawal in mice, and this protection was greatly associated with the NF-κB-mediated anti-inflammatory signaling pathway and Nrf2-mediated antioxidative stress signaling pathway.