ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chronic heart failure (CHF) represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Metabolic maladaptation has proven to be critical in the progression of this condition. Preclinical studies have shown that irisin, an adipomyokine involved in metabolic regulations, can induce positive cardioprotective effects by improving cardiac remodeling, cardiomyocyte viability, calcium delivery, and reducing inflammatory mediators. However, data on clinical studies identifying the associations between irisin levels and functional imaging parameters are scarce in CHF patients. The objective of this study was to determine the association of irisin levels with cardiac imaging measurements through cardiac magnetic resonance, inflammatory markers, and biochemical parameters in patients with CHF compared with control subjects. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-two subjects diagnosed with CHF and thirty-two healthy controls were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Serum irisin levels were significantly lower in patients with CHF than in controls. This is the first study to report a significant positive correlation between irisin levels and cardiac magnetic resonance parameters such as left ventricular ejection fraction, fraction shortening, and global radial strain. A negative correlation was demonstrated between irisin levels and brain natriuretic peptide, insulin levels, and Homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance index. We did not observe significant correlations between irisin levels and inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSIONS: Given the importance of fraction shortening and global radial strain as accurate markers of ventricular wall motion, these results support the hypothesis that irisin may play an essential role in maintaining an adequate myocardial wall architecture, deformation, and thickness.