PMID 29299068

Research
All papers

Muscle irisin response to aerobic vs HIIT in overweight female adolescents

Archundia-Herrera C, Macias-Cervantes M, Ruiz-Muñoz B, Vargas-Ortiz K, Kornhauser C, Perez-Vazquez V

Question

Does one bout of cycling HIIT produce different acute skeletal muscle and plasma irisin responses than one bout of moderate aerobic cycling in overweight or obese sedentary adolescent girls?

Summary

In sedentary overweight or obese adolescent girls, a single cycling HIIT session increased irisin protein in skeletal muscle measured 30 minutes after exercise, whereas a moderate aerobic cycling session did not. Plasma irisin and routine metabolic markers did not change.

Methodology

  • Sedentary overweight or obese female adolescents recruited from public schools.
  • 30 participants.
  • Cycle ergometer.
  • Work intervals: 1 minute at 85-95% HRpeak.
  • Recovery: 1 minute easy-intensity recovery.
  • Intensity: 85-95% HRpeak obtained during baseline VO2peak test.
  • 5-minute warm-up plus 12-minute interval block; cool-down not specified for HIIT.
  • Single acute bout.
  • Single session.
  • Acute randomized controlled exercise comparison with pre/post muscle biopsy and blood sampling.
  • Skeletal muscle irisin, Plasma irisin, and Metabolic variables were tracked.

Outcomes

Skeletal muscle irisin

Muscle irisin increased after the HIIT session but not after the aerobic session.

HIIT irisin/tubulin 0.51 +/- 0.48 to 0.94 +/- 0.69, p < 0.05; aerobic 0.48 +/- 0.39 to 0.68 +/- 0.64, p = 0.3; group interaction p < 0.05.

Improved

Plasma irisin

Plasma irisin did not significantly change after either exercise session.

HIIT 3.59 +/- 1.29 to 3.70 +/- 1.26 ng/mL; aerobic 3.66 +/- 0.80 to 3.56 +/- 0.69 ng/mL; repeated-measures ANOVA p = 0.62.

No clear change

Metabolic variables

Routine metabolic markers did not significantly change after either acute session.

No significant changes observed for glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, lipids, or triglycerides.

No clear change

Insights

  • This is mechanistic acute evidence, not evidence of training adaptation or user-facing health outcomes.
  • A 6 x 1-minute HIIT format can be sufficient to alter a muscle signaling marker acutely.
  • Blood biomarkers may miss transient or local muscle responses depending on sampling timing.

Limitations

  • Acute single-session design.
  • Small sample.
  • Female adolescents with overweight/obesity only.
  • Energy expenditure was not matched between exercise groups.
  • Plasma irisin was not measured during exercise or immediately at exercise cessation.
  • Outcomes were molecular/surrogate rather than clinical or performance outcomes.

Safety

  • A 12-lead ECG was obtained before exercise testing to rule out contraindications.
  • The article did not report exercise-related adverse events.
  • Muscle biopsies were performed with ultrasound guidance and local anesthetic.