The exercise hormone irisin has neuroprotective effects in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis
Nature • • health
Key Points:
- Animal procedures were approved by relevant institutional committees and conducted under specific pathogen-free conditions, using C57BL/6J wild-type and Fndc5 knockout mice, with random group assignments and adherence to ARRIVE guidelines.
- Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in mice using MOG35–55 peptide and pertussis toxin, with clinical scoring and humane endpoints; interventions included AAV8-mediated irisin delivery and recombinant irisin injections, with blinded assessments.
- Behavioral testing involved voluntary free-wheel running paradigms and contextual fear conditioning to assess exercise effects and memory performance, with exclusion criteria for inadequate running or freezing behavior.
- Comprehensive tissue collection and analysis protocols included immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, flow cytometry, RNA sequencing, and ELISA assays to study molecular, cellular, and histopathological changes.
- Statistical analyses employed appropriate tests with blinding and power calculations, handling missing data conservatively, and integrating multiple published datasets for comparative transcriptomic analyses related to EAE and exercise effects.