Endocrine Abstracts

Background: The melanocortin 2 receptor (MC2R)/melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein (MRAP) are critical components of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). MRAP2, homologue of MRAP, can also regulate the MC2R in vitro, however, the physiological significance of this is unclear. We studied the expression of the MRAPs and MC2R in a well-defined rat model of endotoxin induced septic shock. These animals have been shown to have higher ACTH and corticosterone le...

Endotoxemia induces behavioral changes, including a decrease of food intake. Several studies have demonstrated that ADX modifies central nervous system responsiveness to different paradigms. Control of energy homeostasis is regulated by interplay of peripheral signaling conveyed to the hypothalamus and brainstem that control appetite and meal size. We investigated the activity of oxytocin (OT) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and tyrosine hydrox...

The endocannabinoid system is involved in several homeostatic and neuroendocrine functions. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptor antagonist, rimonabant (10 mg/kg, p.o.), on hormone secretion, neuronal activation and mRNA expression in the hypothalamus following isotonic (I−) or hypertonic (H−) blood volume expansion (BVE). Our results showed that the secretion of both oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) were increased ...

Hypophagia and increased energy expenditure under inflammatory condition, such as observed after bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration, are associated with activation of JAK2–STAT3 signaling in the CNS. High fat diet (HFD) is known to induce hypothalamic resistance to leptin signaling mediated by JAK2–STAT3 pathway. In this study we investigated the expression of p-STAT3 in the hypothalamus and brainstem of HFD treated animals under LPS (100 μg/kg) s...

CCK, secreted from duodenal cells in response to nutrients is involved in the satiety mechanisms, via activation of nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). The arcuate (ARC) and paraventricular nuclei (PVN), which receives projections from NTS, integrate the circuitry that controls food intake. Corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) participates in the energy homeostasis, decreasing food intake.To evaluate the effect of glucocorticoid on feeding and neuronal ac...

Obesity is associated with peripheral and central low grade inflammation characterized by the increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF). Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) modulates the inflammatory responses and its inhibitor can strongly reduce TNF release and inflammation. Additionally, PDE4 knockout mice were shown to be resistant to diet-induced obesity (DIO). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of central and peripheral effec...