Endocrine Abstracts

Reproduction is tightly coupled to body energy and metabolic status. GnRH neurons, the final output pathway for the brain control of reproduction, directly or indirectly receive and integrate multiple signals, including metabolic cues regulating reproductive function. Yet, the molecular underpinnings of such phenomenon remain largely unfolded. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a fundamental cellular sensor that becomes activated in conditions of energy deficit, has a key ro...

RF-amide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3), the mammalian orthologue of the avian gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH), has been proposed as major inhibitory signal for the reproductive axis, acting via the NPFF1 receptor (NPFF1R). In addition, RFRP-3 has been recently suggested to modulate feeding, with reported orexigenic actions; a function that might contribute to the integrative control of energy homeostasis and reproduction. However, characterisation of the metabolic effects ...

While female fertility is known to be sensitive to conditions of low body fuel reserves, the reproductive consequences of persistent energy excess remain ill defined. Yet, the pandemic proportions of obesity, and its potential impact on the gonadotropic axis, call for a better understanding of this phenomenon. Alike, the influence of ovarian hormones on the pathophysiology of obesity and its complications merits further investigation. In this work, we aimed to elucidate the me...

GnRH neurons are the final output of the brain controlling reproduction. These neurons receive information from multiple central and peripheral signals, ranging from gonadal steroids to metabolic cues and brain neuropeptides, to regulate their activity. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an intracellular sensor, activated by energy deficiency, involved in the regulation of the cellular and whole-body energy homeostasis. Previous in vitro studies suggested the part...