Endocrine Abstracts

The key metabolic hormone, leptin, acts in part through the liver to regulate glucose homeostasis, as well as the maturation of both adipocytes and osteoblasts. These actions have been demonstrated to be mediated by insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2), independent of its ability to bind IGF1. The effects of IGFBP-2 on adipocyte and osteoblast maturation can be localized to a short peptide sequence within the unique heparin binding domain (HBD-1) of IGFBP-2. ...

The peptides acylated and unacylated ghrelin (AG and UAG) are produced predominantly in the stomach. AG is the only known circulating orexigenic hormone with obesogenic and insulin-desensitising properties. Recent evidence suggests that UAG can inhibit these activities of AG. To investigate potential inhibitory effects of UAG and AZP-531, a UAG analogue, on AG-induced appetite and obesity we used an established rat model of diet induced obesity. Animals were fed a high-fat die...

Ghrelin circulates in two different forms. Acylated ghrelin (AG), a natural ligand of the GH Secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) type 1a, exerts several biologic central and peripheral actions including stimulation of GH secretion, but also modulation of insulin secretion, glucose and lipid metabolism. Unacylated ghrelin (UAG), despite unable to bind the GHS-R1a, is biologically active showing some influence in vitro and in vivo on glucose and lipid metabolism likely m...