Endocrine Abstracts

High levels of macrophage inflammatory proteins (MIP1α and MIP1β), related to the recruitment of Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively, have been evidenced in some organ and non organ-specific autoimmune diseases. CXCL10/IP10 has been evidenced in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD) and in Addison’s disease (AD); MIP1α and MIP1β chemokines have not been so far evaluated in these diseases.Aim: To evaluate plasmatic levels MIP...

Somatostatin (SS) receptors (SSR) expression may be modulated by estrogens in breast cancer cells. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of estradiol (E2) on SSR levels in prostate epithelial cells (PEC).Methods: We investigated the effects of E2 and SS-analogue SOM230 combined treatment on two PEC lines: EPN that expresses both ERalfa and beta and CPEC, showing no ERalfa and very low ERbeta expression. Cells starved in red ...

Prokineticin 1 (Prok1), the product of EGVEGF/PROK 1 gene, acts through two G-coupled receptors (PKR1 and PKR2) and is involved in a wide spectrum of actions, including tumorigenesis. Increased Prok1 expression has been found in prostate hyperplasia and cancer, suggesting a role in prostate cancer and BPH. Aim of this study was to elucidate the role of Prok1 on prostate cell function and growth. We evaluated the effects of Prok1 on epithelial prostate cell (PC) migration and p...

Insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) is produced by Leydig cells. In boys, the levels of INSL3 rise at pubertal stage P2 and further increase throughout puberty in close correlation with T and LH concentrations. In men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) INSL3 levels have been found very low and increased after short-term hCG treatment. Whether FSH plays a role in regulating INSL3 secretion is questioned. Aim of this study was to evaluate serum INSL3 levels during long-term hCG a...

Reversible Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a rare variant of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) reported in men, in which gonadotropin, testosterone (T) and fertility recover spontaneously following treatment with gonadotropins or T. In a few cases mutations of FGFR1 and KAL1 genes have been found. In this report we describe a subject with a KS carrying a new homozygous mutation of PROK-R2 gene and displaying an apparent reversal of his reproductive condition. The proband, born from...

Prokineticins (PK1 and PK2) are peptides regulating multiple biological processes through two G-protein coupled receptors, PK-R1 and PK-R2. PK2/PKR2 signalling is critical for neurogenesis of olfactory bulb and GnRH migration. Mutant mice lacking PKR2 have abnormal development of olfactory bulb and reproductive system atrophy, suggesting that these genes may be novel candidate for Kallmann syndrome (KS) in humans. Recently, mutations in PK2 and PKR2 genes have been found in ne...

Antipituitary antibodies (APA) are frequently present in patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome (APS) but their role in predicting autoimmune hypophysitis (LYH) is still discussed.To evaluate the predictive value of APA investigated by immunofluorescence for the occurrence of pituitary autoimmune dysfunction when considering together some methodological characteristics as immunostaining pattern and antibody titers, we studied 149 APA positive an...

The regulation of insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) secretion from Leydig cells is still incompletely clarified. In this study we measured INSL3 serum levels in transsexual men under estrogen (E) and antiandrogen therapy or after orchiectomy. The effects of gonadotropins on testicular secretion in vitro was also evaluated.Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 14 transsexual men under long-term E (n=5) or E plus cyproterone acetate (E+CPA, <...

Raloxifene (RAL) is a selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulator (SERM) proposed for chemoprevention of breast cancer and osteoporosis. SERMs exert agonist–antagonist effects depending on tissue or ERs expressed. RAL induces apoptosis in both androgen-dependent and independent cell lines, suggesting a selective activation of ERβ and prevalent antagonist effect on ERα in prostate cells (PC). In this study we evaluated effects of estradiol (E2) and RAL on epitheli...

Celiac disease is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder often associated with other endocrine autoimmune diseases, such as type I diabetes mellitus, Addison’s disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. In these patients, LH, FSH and GH secretion has been poorly investigated. Aim of this study is to evaluate anterior pituitary function, and in particular hypotalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and GH-IGF-I axis, in adult patients with treated celiac disease. For this ...