Endocrine Abstracts

Despite their therapeutic effectiveness, glucocorticoids’ (GC) clinical usage is frequently limited due to the deleterious metabolic effects. GC-induced obesity arises from excessive fat accumulation in white adipose tissue (WAT) as well as suppressed thermogenic capacity in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Since the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) plays a fundamental role in adipose tissue biology, we examined the interaction between GCs and SNS signaling in the adipose orga...

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP2) has been demonstrated to be a key mediator of the peripheral actions of leptin, and its deficiency is associated with impaired metabolic function. The metabolic activity of IGFBP2 can be localized to a unique heparin-binding domain (HBD-1) within its structure. AZP-3404 is a 9-amino acid analog of the IGFBP2 HBD-1 that has been demonstrated to increase glucose uptake by differentiated mouse myotubes in vitro, and to increas...

Background:Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), therefore it is essential to give preference to a glucose-lowering drug having most prominent cardioprotective properties. Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) have demonstrated an ability to decrease heart failure manifestations, cardiovascular death frequency not having a certain influence on MI occurrence. On ...

IntroductionAltered levels of hormonal appetite regulators have been observed in obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2), most prominently increases of insulin and leptin (indicating resistance) as well as decreases of adiponectin–all of which are long-term energy regulators and adiposity signals. Disrupted signaling of these hormones may have detrimental effects on metabolism, but may also promote weight gain. Weight loss is often accompanied ...

White adipose tissue (WAT) stores excess energy as triglycerides, while brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy through heat, acting as a defence against cold and obesity and as a positive regulator of metabolic functions. BAT thermogenic functions are mainly induced by mitochondrial uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), which induces uptake of lipids and glucose to sustain oxidation and thermogenesis in both brown and beige adipocytes. The ghrelin gene-derived peptides, acylated...

The brain is critically involved in the regulation of energy balance and glucose homeostasis. Depending on the levels of energy available in our body, the activity of a group of hypothalamic neurons expressing the neuropeptidergic marker proopiomelanocortin (POMC) changes and it plays a key role in maintaining energy balance. When POMC neuronal activity is altered, this can lead to impaired energy homeostasis and therefore to obesity. However, POMC neurons are highly diverse, ...