Irisin and Energy Metabolism and the Role of Irisin on Metabolic Syndrome

Irisin is a thermogenic hormone that leads to causes energy expenditure by increasing brown adipose tissue (BAT). This protein hormone that enables the conversion of white adipose tissue (WAT) to BAT is the irisin protein. This causes energy expenditure during conversion. WAT stores triglycerides and fatty acids and contains very few mitochondria. They also involve in the development of insulin resistance (IR). WAT, which contains a very small amount of mitochondria, contributes to the formation of IR by storing triglycerides and fatty acids. WAT functions as endocrine tissue in the body, synthesizing various molecules such as leptin, ghrelin, NUCB2/nesfatin-1, and irisin along with fat storage. BAT is quite effective in energy expenditure, unlike WAT. The number of mitochondria and lipid droplets composed of multicellular cells in BAT is much higher when compared to WAT. BAT contains a protein called uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) in the mitochondrial membranes. This protein pumps protons from the intermembrane space toward the mitochondrial matrix. When UCP1 is activated, heat dissipation occurs while ATP synthesis does not occur, because UCP1 is a division protein. At the same time, BAT regulates body temperature in infants. Its effectiveness in adults became clear after the discovery of irisin. The molecular mechanism of exercise, which increases calorie expenditure, became clear with the discovery of irisin. Thus, the isolation of irisin led to the clarification of metabolic events and fat metabolism. In this review, literature information will be given on the effect of irisin hormone on energy metabolism and metabolic syndrome (MetS).