Endocrine Abstracts

Agouti-related protein (AgRP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) are co-localised in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus neurons that have been implicated in the regulation of energy balance. Both AgRP and NPY stimulate food intake when administered into the third ventricle and are up-regulated in states of negative energy balance e.g. fasting. AgRP/NPY neurones are thought to play a role in the integration of information received from circulating satiety factors and signals of energy store st...

Treatment of acromegaly aims primarily to reverse the increased mortality and morbidity associated with active disease to that of the non-acromegalic population. Recent evidence indicates that the best biochemical criteria for successful treatment should be a mean GH<2micrograms per litre (approximately 4milliunits per litre). Although a 'test dose' of octreotide (OTD) is recommended prior to use of depot somatostatin analogues (SSAs), there remains no consensus regarding t...

The neuroendocrine and immune systems are closely linked, and cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), secreted by immune cells or neighbouring pituicytes, may have important local effects on pituitary function to modulate endocrine mechanisms of regulation.We have analysed the transcriptional regulation of the human prolactin (hPRL) gene promoter by TNF-alpha. Using stably transfected GH3 cells expressing luciferase und...

The nucleoside adenosine is an important regulator of interleukin-6 secretion from the folliculostellate (FS) cells of the anterior pituitary gland but the source of adenosine in this scenario is unknown. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate secretion of adenosine and the expression of adenosine forming and metabolising enzymes in the pituitary gland.Ecto-5/-nucleotidase (CD73), adenosine kinase and adenosine deaminase (AD) were ...

Annexin 1 (ANXA1) plays an important role in mediating the negative feedback effects of glucocorticoids on the HPA axis. In the anterior pituitary gland ANXA1 is localised mainly to the non-secretory folliculostellate (FS) cells. It is released from these cells by glucocorticoids and acts locally to suppress ACTH release from corticotrophs. Functional and histological studies suggest that the steroid-induced translocation of ANXA1 across the FS cell membrane is effected via me...

The hypothalamus plays a key role in the control of appetite and energy balance. The endogenous cannabinoids are widely distributed throughout the brain, including the hypothalamus, together with specific cannabinoid-1 (CB-1) receptors. Endogenous and exogenous cannabinoids induce hyperphagia, whereas the selective CB-1 receptor antagonist, SR 141716 (rimonabant), inhibits feeding and CB-1 knockout animals are leaner and eat less after an overnight fast. Ghrelin, the recently ...

The gastric hormone ghrelin stimulates feeding whereas the intestinal hormones peptide YY3-36 (PYY3-36) and oxyntomodulin inhibit feeding. In order to determine whether these gut hormones retain their effects in obesity, they were administered in vivo intraperitoneally to unanaesthetised lean and obese mice. Forty eight C57Bl/6 male mice were randomised to receive either low-fat diet (4.5% fat) or high fat diet (60% fat). After 16 weeks, mice fed o...

Background: The safety of GH replacement in patients with craniopharyngioma has not been clearly elucidated.Aim: To assess whether GH replacement increases the risk of craniopharyngioma recurrence.Patients and Methods: The records of the patients with craniopharyngioma followed-up at the Departments of Endocrinology and Paediatrics between 1/1964-6/2004 were reviewed. The recurrence risks of GH-treated and non-GH-treated patients w...