Chen Yixiao, Qian Min, Gao Feng, Li Guoqing, Peng Kangzu, Sun Qingnan, Sun Yifei, Liu Gang, Ge Yufeng, Yang Minghui, Wu Xinbao
Department of Traumatic Orthopaedics, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
National Center for Orthopaedics, Beijing, China.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2025 May 27;26(1):520. doi: 10.1186/s12891-025-08767-w.
Sarcopenia, a progressive musculoskeletal disorder associated with aging, is characterized by the deterioration of muscle mass, strength, and physical performance. This condition significantly increases the risk of debilitating consequences including functional impairment, diminished life quality, and increased mortality. With the progress of aging, it will affect a large number of people in the world and bring many problems. Despite its clinical significance, there are no medicine used to treatment sarcopenia by FDA approval in clinical. This systematic review synthesizes current evidence on the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of irisin-a myokine induced by exercise-in sarcopenia, aiming to address two key questions: (1) Can irisin serve as a reliable biomarker for sarcopenia diagnosis? (2) Does irisin hold promise as a therapeutic agent for sarcopenia management?
A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase) to examine the relationship between irisin and sarcopenia. Eligible studies meeting our inclusion criteria underwent rigorous quality assessment.
364 studies were identified, of which only 21 met the inclusion criteria-12 involving human studies and 9 involving animal and cell experiments. In human studies, irisin may serve as a potential diagnostic marker for sarcopenia in the elderly and postmenopausal women. In addition, as a myokine of exercise induced, increased circulating levels of irisin may enhanced skeletal muscle mass. Moreover, animal and cellular experiments suggest that increased levels of irisin help improve muscle mass.
In conclusion, this review indicates that irisin has potential therapeutic effects for sarcopenia and may become a promising treatment for sarcopenia in the future. However, there is currently a lack of high-quality studies on the use of irisin in treating sarcopenia, and the relevant mechanisms of action are not yet clear. Therefore, more studies are needed to clarify the relationship between irisin and sarcopenia in the future.
肌肉减少症是一种与衰老相关的进行性肌肉骨骼疾病，其特征是肌肉质量、力量和身体机能下降。这种情况会显著增加包括功能障碍、生活质量下降和死亡率增加等衰弱后果的风险。随着老龄化进程，它将影响全球大量人群并带来诸多问题。尽管其具有临床意义，但目前美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）批准的用于治疗肌肉减少症的药物在临床上尚不存在。本系统评价综合了关于鸢尾素（一种运动诱导产生的肌动蛋白）在肌肉减少症诊断和治疗潜力方面的现有证据，旨在解决两个关键问题：（1）鸢尾素能否作为肌肉减少症诊断的可靠生物标志物？（2）鸢尾素作为肌肉减少症治疗药物是否具有前景？
在多个数据库（科学引文索引、医学期刊数据库、考克兰图书馆和荷兰医学文摘数据库）中进行全面的文献检索，以研究鸢尾素与肌肉减少症之间的关系。符合纳入标准的合格研究接受了严格的质量评估。
共识别出364项研究，其中仅21项符合纳入标准，12项涉及人体研究，9项涉及动物和细胞实验。在人体研究中，鸢尾素可能作为老年人和绝经后女性肌肉减少症的潜在诊断标志物。此外，作为运动诱导产生的肌动蛋白，鸢尾素循环水平的升高可能会增加骨骼肌质量。而且，动物和细胞实验表明，鸢尾素水平的升高有助于改善肌肉质量。
总之，本综述表明鸢尾素对肌肉减少症具有潜在治疗作用，未来可能成为治疗肌肉减少症的一种有前景的方法。然而，目前关于鸢尾素用于治疗肌肉减少症的高质量研究不足，相关作用机制尚不清楚。因此，未来需要更多研究来阐明鸢尾素与肌肉减少症之间的关系。
