Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The gut hormone peptide YY 3-36 (PYY3-36) is secreted postprandially from intestinal L-cells to signal satiety. Peripheral administration of PYY3-36 suppresses food intake in rodents and humans. PYY3-36-based drugs are therefore promising anti-obesity treatments. It has been proposed that circulating PYY3-36 supresses appetite via the Y2 receptor (Y2R) in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC). The vagus nerve, the majo...

Background: An increasingly recognized complication of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery is the development of postprandial hypoglycaemia (PPH). However, there remains no agreed standard on how to diagnose this condition. Commonly used tests include a prolonged oral glucose tolerance test (POGTT) and mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT). Little is known regarding how these tests compare in the post-bariatric population.Methods: Ten patients who had con...

Background: Kisspeptin stimulates hypothalamic GnRH secretion resulting in gonadotrophin release and has the potential as a future therapeutic for infertility. Previous studies have observed that kisspeptin increases LH and to a lesser degree FSH when administered to healthy women, which may limit its therapeutic potential. However, studies in women with hypothalamic amenorrhoea show that i.v. infusions of kisspeptin-54 stimulated both LH and FSH equally. Chronic s.c. infusion...

Background: Kisspeptin is an RF amide peptide hormone critical for reproductive function. Kisspeptin is also abundantly expressed in the placenta, where it has an important physiological role in regulating placental invasion. Accordingly, plasma kisspeptin levels rise dramatically during normal pregnancy. Lower plasma levels of kisspeptin are associated with poor pregnancy outcomes such as recurrent miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction and pre-eclampsia. Urinary measur...

A decade ago, genetic disruption of the kisspeptin signalling pathway was observed to cause hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. Hypothalamic kisspeptin acts by stimulating secretion of endogenous GnRH. Our research has investigated the physiological effects of kisspeptin in women, with the overarching aim of determining if kisspeptin could be used to treat women with infertility.We initially observed that s.c. bolus injection of kisspeptin acutely stimulated...

Background: Kisspeptin is an RF amide peptide hormone critical for reproductive function. Kisspeptin is also abundantly expressed in the placenta, where it has an important physiological role in regulating placental invasion. Accordingly, plasma kisspeptin levels rise dramatically during normal pregnancy. Lower plasma levels of kisspeptin are associated with poor pregnancy outcomes such as recurrent miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction and pre-eclampsia. Urinary measur...

Alarin is the most recently discovered member of the galanin peptide family, and is encoded by a splice variant of galanin-like peptide (GALP) mRNA. Galanin and GALP are known to regulate energy homeostasis and reproduction. Galanin is thought to mediate its effects via the three-galanin receptors. GALP also binds to these known galanin receptors, but evidence suggests that it may also act via an as yet unknown GALP specific receptor. The role of alarin in energy homeostasis a...

Background: Kisspeptin is a peptide product of the KiSS-1 gene and a key regulator of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. Pregnancy is associated with raised plasma kisspeptin concentrations. However, there is significant variation in the plasma kisspeptin levels quoted in previous studies. We investigated the effects of pre-analytical factors including processing time and anticoagulant type on plasma kisspeptin-immunoreactivity (IR) measurement.Meth...

3-iodothyronamine (T1AM) is a novel, endogenous rapid acting biogenic amine, which is a potent agonist of the G-protein coupled trace amine-associated receptor 1, TAAR1. It has been suggested that endogenous T1AM could be generated by enzymatic deiodonation and decarboxylation of T4. The presence of T1AM in rat brain and the distribution of the TAAR1 receptor in the hypothalamus suggest that T1AM may affect food intake and regulate e...

Background: Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) results in sustained weight loss. Changes in food preferences and eating behaviour are postulated as possible contributing mechanisms. Post-RYGB, patients consume less sugary and fatty food. Sweet taste detection and sensitivity have been reported to be enhanced post-surgery and this may account for changes in the palatability of food. Underlying mechanisms for the changes in sweet taste function and eating behaviour are unclear....