AIM: To explore the effects of irisin on house dust mite (HDM)-induced inflammation and apoptosis in human airway epithelial cells. METHODS: The human bronchial epithelial cell (16HBE) were cultured with in RPMI1640 culture medium with 10%of fetal bovine serum. After cells reached 85%confluence, the medium was replaced with serum-free culture medium for 12 h. Then the 16HBE cells were treated with various concentrations of HDM (0, 400, 800, 12 00 U/mL) for 24 h. Reactive oxygen species assay kit was used to detected the intracellular ROS generation. And qPCR was used to  measure the interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) mRNA expression of the HDM-induced 16HBE cell. The cells were pre-treated with or without irisin for 2 h before  exposure to various concentration of HDM for 24 h. Then reactive oxygen species assay kit was used to detected the intracellular ROS generation. The IL-6, TNF-α mRNA expression of 16HBE cell were measured by qPCR. Meanwhile, the phosphorylated and total P65 NF-κB and JNK proteins were detected by western blot. The pro-apoptosis protein cleaved-caspase3、BAX and the anti-apoptosis protein were also detected by western blot. RESULTS: The quantitative assay showed that intracellular ROS in different concentrations of HDM stimulus group were obviously higher than NC group (P<0.05). And RT-PCR analysis showed a higher expression level of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA in different concentrations of HDM than in NC group (P<0.05). Compared  with the HDM group, Irisin significantly decreased the level of intracellular ROS of the 16HBE cells (P<0.05). The released of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA was also decreased in irisin treated 16HBE cells (P<0.05). And compared with control group, BCL-XL anti-apoptosis protein level was decreased and BAX and c-caspase3 pro-apoptosis protein levels were increased in HDM group (P<0.05), irisin intervention significantly increased the level of BCL-XL and decreased the levels of BAX and cleaved-caspase 3 (P<0.05). Compared the control group, phosphorylated P65 NF-κB and JNK protein levels were significantly increased after HDM stimulated (P<0.05), and irisin intervention decreased the protein levels of phosphorylated P65 NF-κB and JNK (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Irisin can effectively improve the inflammation and apoptosis of HDM-induced 16HBE cells, and this protective effect may be related to its inhibition of NF-κB and JNK MAPK signaling pathways. Irisin may be a potential drug for treating lung inflammation.