Endocrine Abstracts

Neuroendocrine molecules play a significant role in the progression of human prostate cancer (PCa) and its neuroendocrine differentiation has been associated to a worse prognosis. Among these molecules, the pleiotropic peptide neuropeptide Y (NPY) was found to be expressed in the human prostate and may show some relevance in PCa progression. In this study, we evaluated the direct effect of NPY on the growth of the human PCa cell lines LNCaP (androgen dependent) and DU145 and P...

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a pleiotropic cytokine of the interleukine-6 superfamily, is involved in several functions including the control of reproduction at the embrionic-endometrial interface and the regulation of energy homeostasis. LIF activates a cell-surface receptor complex (LIF-Rs) composed of one ligand-specific low affinity LIF receptor β (LIFR-β) subunit and the gp-130 subunit. Since little is known about the involvement of LIF in the modulation of...

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a pleiotropic cytokine of the interleukine-6 superfamily, is involved in several functions including the control of reproduction at the embrionic-endometrial interface and the regulation of energy homeostasis. LIF activates a cell-surface receptor complex (LIF-Rs) composed of one ligand-specific low affinity LIF receptor β (LIFRβ) subunit and the gp130 subunit. Since little is known about the involvement of LIF in the modulation of t...

Aging is associated with weight loss, appetite decline, reduced fat-free mass (FFM) and increased fat mass (FM). Dysregulation of the ghrelin and leptin systems could reduce hunger and promote early satiety in elderly subjects, leading to impairment of the nutritional status. To better clarify this issue, we evaluated the response of plasma ghrelin and leptin to a standardised oral mixed nutrient load (SOMNL) in elderly subjects with different body composition. The study popul...

Iron represents a micronutrient for cellular metabolism and aerobic respiration, and is essential for proper brain development in the fetal and early neonatal period. However, excess iron produces toxic build-up via free radical formation. In thalassaemic and juvenile hemochromatosis patients with pubertal failure, iron overload interferes with the correct function of the hypothalamic–pituitary axis, leading to hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism and growth failure, but the me...

The increasing use of somatostatin (SRIF) analogues prompted extensive investigations on SRIF receptor (SSR) in human tumours. Human prostate cancer (PCa) may differentially express SSRs from the normal tissue. Moreover, SSR and dopamine (D) receptors (DR) may interact to form homo- and heterodimers with enhanced functional activity. In the present study, using the human androgen-dependent PCa cell line LNCaP, we investigated: 1) SSR and DR subtype expression in different cult...

Somatostatin (SRIF) has been demonstrated to inhibit in vitro proliferation of normal and transformed cells via SRIF receptors (SSRs). Moreover, like other neuroendocrine molecules, SRIF and SSRs may play a significant role in the progression and neuroendocrine differentiation of human prostate cancer (PCa). However, conflicting results have been reported in the literature on SSR heterogeneity and specific cell localization in PCa. In the present study, using the human ...

Background: Male hypogonadism is known to be associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular (CV) events, although the underlying biochemical mechanisms are so far not fully understood. The clinical condition characterized by low levels of testosterone offers a unique model to unravel the possible role of lipoprotein-associated abnormalities in CV risk. In particular, the assessment of the functional capacities of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) may provide novel insi...

Somatostatin (SRIF) is an inhibitory hormone that plays a regulatory role in several cell functions including cell proliferation. SRIF acts through five specific membrane receptors (sst1-5), expressed on SRIF-target cells. SRIF and ssts may play a significant role in the progression and neuroendocrine differentiation of human prostate cancer (PCa). However, conflicting results have been reported in the literature on ssts heterogeneity and specific cell localization in PCa. Aim...

Excess body iron is associated with the metabolic syndrome, but whether it has a causal role in the pathophysiology of insulin resistance (IR) is not well understood. Aim of this study was to assess (a) the effect of dietary modulation of iron status on IR in Wild-type or ob/ob C57Bl/6 male mice fed a standard iron concentration (8 mg/kg) or an iron enriched diet (30 g/kg; IED), as well as in high-fructose diet (HFD) mice and (b) to investigate the mechanisms whereby. IED dete...