Endocrine Abstracts

Recent data showed the existence of a specific adipocyte population composed of ‘brite’ cells in white adipose tissue (WAT), characterized by a peculiar gene expression pattern including PRDM16. Despite showing a low basal UCP1 expression, these cells display higher UCP1 expression when stimulated. In view of the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in energy homeostasis, the aim of our work is to establish whether the CB1 receptor could be a target for brown ph...

The brain is critically involved in the regulation of energy balance and glucose homeostasis. Depending on the levels of energy available in our body, the activity of a group of hypothalamic neurons expressing the neuropeptidergic marker proopiomelanocortin (POMC) changes and it plays a key role in maintaining energy balance. When POMC neuronal activity is altered, this can lead to impaired energy homeostasis and therefore to obesity. However, POMC neurons are highly diverse, ...

The brain plays a crucial role in maintaining the body’s energy needs, a process involving the activity of a group of hypothalamic neurons that express the neuropeptidergic marker pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC). POMC neuronal dysfunction can cause obesity and its associated metabolic sequelae. However, this population of neurons is highly diverse at a molecular and functional level, and whether or not such heterogeneity is implicated in disease establishment or progression h...

Abstract: Inflammation plays a contributing role in the pathogenesis of several metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes and obesity. Intriguingly, obesogenic diets induce markers of hypothalamic inflammation and neuronal injury in both rodents and humans, suggesting that targeting inflammatory pathways in the hypothalamus might represent a novel strategy to control energy metabolism. Unfortunately, the majority of steroid-based anti-inflammatory drugs are fraught with a...

Type 2 diabetes is among the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide. Further research is needed to identify new mechanisms that may help preserve the function of insulin-secreting pancreatic β-cells. The cannabinoid receptors type 1 (CB1) and their endogenous ligands, endocannabinoids, exert a key role in regulating of glucose homeostasis, β-cells function, and insulin secretion. Intriguingly, CB1 is not only located at the plasma membrane (pmCB1), but also at the...

Obesity and type–2 diabetes (T2D) represent a global health crisis. However, only a few, and often sub–effective pharmacological tools are available to treat these disorders. Though beneficial for glycemic control, GLP–1 receptor (GLP–1R) agonists show scarce weight–lowering and insulin–sensitizing efficacy.New molecules able to selectively block the activity of the cannabinoid receptor type–1 (CB1R) in periphera...

The pharmacological blockade of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) has been shown to counteract diet induced obesity (DIO). An unsolved question is whether the effects of CB1 blockade on energy balance are due to peripheral or central mechanisms. This is an important clinical issue since the CB1 antagonist drugs have recently been withdrawn from the market due to their psychiatric side effects, and novel drugs selectively acting at peripheral le...

Aims: Recently, the endocannabinoid system emerged as a pivotal regulator of food intake, ingestive behavior and energy metabolism, acting through CB1 and its endogenous ligands, the endocannabinoids. CB1 antagonists may reduce body weight and improve metabolic profiles in animals and humans by a double mechanism: at first, they target mesolimbic and hypothalamic nuclei and, thereafter, peripheral organs involved in energy storage and expenditure. Nevertheless, it is still unk...