Endocrine Abstracts

The long-term effects of an acute stress on subsequent HPA axis activity are well established. We have investigated the effects of different acute stressors on HPA activity, and the severity of inflammation in the rat model of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA). A single injection of LPS administered to neonates can protect these rats from developing inflammation in response to adjuvant injection as adults. Similarly, LPS given to adults 3 weeks prior to adjuvant injection can pr...

Glucocorticoids powerfully inhibit inflammation by repressing NFkB function. We sought how ligand recognition by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) regulates this effect. In vivo some glucocorticoid ligands (eg RU486) have negligible anti-inflammatory activity, in contrast to the agonist dexamethasone, despite promoting nuclear translocation of the GR, and binding to DNA. In-vitro studies have not identified a role for ligand binding in allowing interaction between the GR and NF...

Glucocorticoids are by far the most effective anti-inflammatory therapy for asthma (and many other inflammatory diseases). Glucocorticoids bind to glucocorticoid receptors in the cytoplasm and translocate to the nucleus, where they interact as dimers with glucocorticoid response elements in the promoter region of steroid-sensitive genes to switch on transcription of anti-inflammatory genes, (such as MKP-1). This involves binding of GR to coactivator proteins and acetylation of...

Annexin A1 - a unique mediator of glucocorticoid action.Annexin A1 is a 37 KD protein found in a variety of differentiated cell types in the mammalian body. It is a member of a super family of proteins known as the annexins of which approximately 13 are found in mammals. Annexin A1 is one of the most studied members of this family and appears to play a key role in mediating the effects of glucocorticoid hormones and drugs on the immune and neuro-endocrin...