Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is characterized by a persistent deficiency of sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity, causing marked distress or interpersonal difficulty. It is the most prevalent female sexual health problem worldwide, affecting approximately 1 in 10 women, but has limited treatment options despite its substantial health, social, and economic burden. Melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonists have emerged as a promising therapy fo...

Background: Kisspeptin is a critical activator of hypothalamic gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons and has significant potential to treat common reproductive disorders. To date, kisspeptin has solely been administered to humans via the intravenous or subcutaneous routes, however intranasal administration could offer a novel non-invasive delivery route. We therefore sought to determine the effects of intranasal kisspeptin on reproductive hormone release in humans for...

Introduction: Sexual desire is a key component of the sexual response model. Absence or deficiency of sexual desire can lead to marked distress or interpersonal difficulty, termed ‘hypoactive sexual desire disorder’ (HSDD). HSDD is the most common female sexual health complaint worldwide, affecting up to 10% of women. Despite its detrimental impact on psychological well-being and quality of life, treatment options are currently limited. The hormone kisspeptin is a ke...

Clinical Endocrinology 2016 84 939–945. DOI: 10.1111/cen.12603...

Background: Hot flushes (HF) affect 70% of menopausal women and can be debilitating. Oestrogen administration is effective but not without risk. Neurokinin B signalling is increased in menopausal women, and is likely critical in the aetiology of their HF. We therefore hypothesised that a neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) antagonist could attenuate menopausal flushing.Design: This single-centre, phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover ...

Clinical Endocrinology 2016 84 939–945. DOI: 10.1111/cen.12603...

Background: Hot flushes (HF) affect 70% of menopausal women and can be debilitating. Oestrogen administration is effective but not without risk. Neurokinin B signalling is increased in menopausal women, and is likely critical in the aetiology of their HF. We therefore hypothesised that a neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) antagonist could attenuate menopausal flushing.Design: This single-centre, phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover ...

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is a persistent lack of sexual desire, causing marked interpersonal distress. It is the most common global female sexual health problem, although the precise pathophysiology remains uncertain. Existing treatment options are limited by their efficacy and side effects. The neuropeptide kisspeptin offers a potential therapeutic target given its emerging role in modulating reproductive behaviour. Using a combination of psychometric, neuroim...

Coupling the release of pituitary hormones to the developmental stage of the oocyte is essential for female fertility. It is thought to require estrogen to have simultaneous positive and negative feedback effects on two spatially-distinct regions of the hypothalamus, the arcuate nucleus and ‘AVPV’ nucleus. However, the mechanistic basis for this differential effect is not known. Therefore, we mapped the genomic binding of the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in bot...

Background: There is emerging evidence that kisspeptin, a hormone with well-established reproductive effects, may also have important metabolic effects. Acute kisspeptin administration enhances insulin secretion under hyperglycaemic conditions in male rodents and men, and kisspeptin receptor agonism improves steatohepatits in male mice in a rodent model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, the metabolic effects of kisspeptin may exhibit sexual dimorphism as female (b...